Power Outage in Philadelphia, PA

Several instances of power outages were reported in northeast Philadelphia. Time estimated from radar.

An mPing report of downed trees or power lines.

Downed wires and power outages were reported near Miller St. Time estimated from radar.

An mPing report of large tree limbs or power lines down. Time estimated from radar.

A Pennsylvania DOT gauge reported a 58 mph measured gust. A couple of downed trees and power outages were reported.

Power outage due to severe weather near Holme Circle. Time estimated from radar.

An mPing report of trees and power lines down. Time estimated from radar.

A few reports of downed power lines near and south of Cheltenham. Time estimated from radar.

Power lines were downed near Sedgley Ave. Time estimated from radar.

A sustained wind of 40 mph with gusts to 49 mph was measured at Philadelphia Northeast Airport (KPNE). A number of reports of downed trees and power lines were received in the county, with locally enhanced damage due to a tornado over Northeast Philadelphia.

Downed power lines throughout the Franklin Square area. Time estimated from radar.

Power lines were downed near Province Island. Time estimated from radar.

Power lines were downed near Whitaker Ave. Time estimated from radar.

Several reports of downed power lines in the areas of Somerton, Bustleton, and Huntingdown Valley. Time estimated from radar.

A tree was downed into wires near Diamond St and Hancock St with power outages reported. Time estimated from radar.

Gusts estimated to 70mph. Trees and power lines downed in the area. Time estimated from radar.

Trees and power lines were down between Washington and Christian Streets. Time estimated from radar.

Multiple trees were uprooted, including one which fell onto a vehicle. A power pole was knocked down in South Philadelphia. The time of damage was estimated from radar.

The roof of the Boys Club on the 7700 block of Ditman Street in the Holmesburg section of the city was blown off by strong to severe winds.||A pine tree was tipped onto electrical wires near Northeast Blvd and Proctor Road, knocking out power to nearby homes.||Two tractor-trailer trucks crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge were toppled by strong winds. Traffic was delayed more than two hours.

A severe thunderstorm lastly knocked down a couple of trees in northeastern Philadelphia along Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1) between Cottman and Ryan Avenues. The combination of lightning and wind caused about 10,000 PECO Energy customers to lose power in Philadelphia.

A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 66 mph at Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 717 p.m. EDT. Earlier the same thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 54 mph at Philadelphia International Airport at 659 p.m. EDT. PECO Energy reported about 30,000 of its customers lost power in Philadelphia.

A severe thunderstorm also knocked down a few trees and wires in Northeast Philadelphia and caused power outages. A wind gust of 49 mph was measured at nearby Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Thunderstorms with very heavy rain caused urban and poor drainage flash flooding in Philadelphia. Multiple ramps of Interstate 95 around Broad Street were closed. A 21-year-old woman drowned after she accidentally drove into the Schuylkill River near Boathouse Road in Philadelphia. A 31-year-old male passenger managed to swim to safety. The river was running higher than average, but was not flooding at the time of the drowning. SEPTA Regional rail lines reported flooding on tracks within Philadelphia. The flooding rains caused portions of Terminal A at Philadelphia International Airport to lose power. Departure and arrival delays reached 90 minutes and seventeen flights were cancelled. Event precipitation totals included 8.26 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.84 inches in Center City. The precipitation gradient was tremendous over Philadelphia as only 0.64 inches fell at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.||A total of 8.02 inches of rain fell at the Philadelphia International Airport on the 28th. The amount not only established a new record daily maximum rainfall for that date, but was also the most rainfall on record for any calendar day in Philadelphia. The previous record was set on September 16, 1999 during Tropical Storm Floyd and was 6.63 inches. This torrential downpour also helped establish a new July monthly rainfall record of 13.24 inches in Philadelphia. The previous record was 10.42 inches set in 1994.

Thunderstorms with very heavy rain caused urban and poor drainage flash flooding in Philadelphia. Multiple ramps of Interstate 95 around Broad Street were closed. A 21-year-old woman drowned after she accidentally drove into the Schuylkill River near Boathouse Road in Philadelphia. A 31-year-old male passenger managed to swim to safety. The river was running higher than average, but was not flooding at the time of the drowning. SEPTA Regional rail lines reported flooding on tracks within Philadelphia. The flooding rains caused portions of Terminal A at Philadelphia International Airport to lose power. Departure and arrival delays reached 90 minutes and seventeen flights were cancelled. Event precipitation totals included 8.26 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.84 inches in Center City. The precipitation gradient was tremendous over Philadelphia as only 0.64 inches fell at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.||A total of 8.02 inches of rain fell at the Philadelphia International Airport on the 28th. The amount not only established a new record daily maximum rainfall for that date, but was also the most rainfall on record for any calendar day in Philadelphia. The previous record was set on September 16, 1999 during Tropical Storm Floyd and was 6.63 inches. This torrential downpour also helped establish a new July monthly rainfall record of 13.24 inches in Philadelphia. The previous record was 10.42 inches set in 1994.

A severe thunderstorm snapped a power pole and brought wires down in Southwest Philadelphia.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few trees within Philadelphia. The combination of the damaging winds, lightning and heavy rain caused about 11,000 homes and businesses within the city to lose power.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a few trees within Philadelphia. The combination of the damaging winds, lightning and heavy rain caused about 11,000 homes and businesses within the city to lose power.

The gust front from a severe thunderstorm caused wind damage mainly in the northern half of Philadelphia. Several trees were knocked down. SEPTA Regional Commuter Rail Service had to suspend service that headed north of Market East station because downed trees blocked the rail lines in the East Mount Airy section of the city. Commuters were bused home. The thunderstorms also caused about 50 incoming and outgoing flights from Philadelphia International Airport to be canceled. PECO Energy reported about 10,000 of its customers within the city lost power. A peak wind gust to 54 mph was measured at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

The gust front from a severe thunderstorm caused wind damage mainly in the northern half of Philadelphia. Several trees were knocked down. SEPTA Regional Commuter Rail Service had to suspend service that headed north of Market East station because downed trees blocked the rail lines in the East Mount Airy section of the city. Commuters were bused home. The thunderstorms also caused about 50 incoming and outgoing flights from Philadelphia International Airport to be canceled. PECO Energy reported about 10,000 of its customers within the city lost power. A peak wind gust to 54 mph was measured at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

A severe thunderstorm downed some trees and power lines along the Main Line border between Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down around three dozen trees within the city and injured four people. A downed tree on West Oak Lane fell onto a vehicle and injured three people. A 55-year-old man was injured when his vehicle was crushed by a tree on Limekiln Pike. Downed wires in the Northern Liberty section of the city set a vehicle on fire. Bad weather in Philadelphia and other cities attempting to fly to and from the city caused hundreds of cancellations. About 750 people were forced to spend the night at the airport. PECO Energy reported about 30,000 homes and businesses in its southeastern Pennsylvania service area lost power because of the thunderstorms.

A strong cold front approached the mid-Atlantic late on March 7. An unusually warm air mass overspread the region ahead of it, with several climate sites experiencing record high temperatures well into the 70s on the 7th. As the front approached during the evening, a line of low topped convection developed ahead of it. While instability was limited, the very strong wind fields and frontal lift allowed this line to produce widespread wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph as it moved through. This resulted in scattered to numerous reports of downed trees and power outages. The front moved offshore by late in the evening with calmer and more seasonable weather returning for the following day.

An unseasonably strong weather system affected the mid-Atlantic on April 30, 2021. A cold front moved through the region in the predawn hours of April 30, associated with low pressure moving into coastal New England. An upper level disturbance and a secondary cold front then approached late in the day on the 30th. This system interacted with the departing low pressure over New England, causing that low to rapidly intensify as it began moving towards the Canadian maritimes. With high pressure over the Midwest, this led to a very strong pressure gradient over the mid-Atlantic. Combined with strong dynamics associated with the secondary cold front, a lengthy period of windy conditions developed for much of the day on the 30th. Widespread wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph, with some gusts of 60 to 65 mph, occurred. This, combined with many trees across the region already bearing leaves, led to numerous instances of tree damage and power outages across the region. Scattered showers associated with the secondary front also helped to locally enhance wind damage. Winds finally began to decrease by the night of the 30th as the gradient gradually weakened.

An area of thunderstorms, some of them severe, moved from northwest to southeast across southeastern Pennsylvania during the mid-morning hours on Wednesday, June 3rd. Then a derecho, which developed just southeast of Lake Erie during the early morning hours, moved rapidly southeast across Pennsylvania before exiting off the New Jersey coast by early afternoon (130 PM). Damaging winds associated with this derecho were sporadic over western and central Pennsylvania, but as the thunderstorm complex moved into increasingly unstable air in the eastern part of the state just before noon, wind damage reports became more numerous and widespread. Most of these reports were confined within a 50-mile wide swath extending from Berks County eastward to the Philadelphia metro area, then further east to the Ocean County shoreline in New Jersey. Wind gust reports between 60 and 70 MPH were common within this swath, with some of the highest gusts as follows: 83 MPH at Reading Regional Airport (Berks County), 76 MPH in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 75 MPH in Malvern (Chester County), and 71 MPH in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia. In addition to these destructive wind gusts, frequent to continuous cloud to ground lightning, heavy rain, and a few instances of hail were also reported throughout the area. ||Tragically, four deaths were reported in eastern Pennsylvania as a result of these severe wind gusts. Three fatalities in Montgomery County were due directly to falling trees. The fourth fatality in Delaware County was due to a house fire caused by an electrical malfunction from a fallen tree. This is the highest number of fatalities from a derecho event in Pennsylvania since 1950. ||Over 208,000 power outages were reported in southeastern Pennsylvania as a result |of fallen trees on power lines. Some localities were without power for several days. Numerous road closures were also reported due to fallen trees.|A seven story 150 unit apartment building took severe roof damage in Lansdale Borough, Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Community Based COVID-19 Testing Site shut down at noon due to the storms. Personnel took shelter and reported minor property damage.||Because this derecho moved off the coast by 130 PM, the warm afternoon sun was able to sufficiently destabilize the atmosphere for the formation of another round of severe thunderstorms over some of the same areas that experience them earlier in the day. Reported wind gusts associated with these thunderstorms generally ranged between 45 and 65 MPH, with a 65 MPH wind gust measured at the Philadelphia International Airport. The remaining thunderstorms then moved offshore by 1000 PM, which brought an end to the day's severe weather.

A frontal boundary stalled over the mid-Atlantic on July 22. An approaching upper level trough helped spur the development of a wave of low pressure along the front. A very favorable environment for convection and severe weather developed along and south of this boundary. Extremely high moisture content was present in the air mass, allowing moderate to strong instability to build during the heating of the day. The frontal boundary and developing low also helped to enhance both low level and deep layer shear to respectably strong values for midsummer. The result was a day of widespread severe weather. Discrete storms early in the afternoon gave way to a powerful mesoscale convective system in the evening which produced widespread damaging winds with considerable damage over a large area.

A strong backdoor cold front moved from northeast to southwest across the area late Saturday afternoon April 15th into Sunday morning April 16th. Not only was there a significant drop in temperature coinciding with the passage of the front, but also a stark difference between high temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, high temperatures ranged from the mid-70s to mid-80s, but only made it to the mid-30s to mid-40s on Sunday. In general, there was a 40 degree temperature drop from Saturday to Sunday! ||The backdoor front became stationary south of the region then moved northward as a warm front Sunday night into Monday morning. Meanwhile, a strong cold front approached from the west and swept across the area Monday afternoon and evening, along with an attendant area of low pressure. This robust storm system tapped large amounts of moisture, which was lifted along the warm front as overrunning precipitation, and along the cold front as a line of showers and thunderstorms. ||As a result, heavy rainfall occurred across the region. A widespread 1 to 3 inches of rainfall occurred, with localized amounts over 4 inches. This lead to flooding across portions of the area. Meanwhile, it was cold enough in the higher elevations of the Southern Poconos of Northeast Pennsylvania for freezing rain on Sunday. In particular, the Pocono Mountains Airport ASOS recorded 0.19 inches of ice accretion, and there was tree damage and power outages reported in Tobyhanna Pennsylvania.||Along the coast, an extended period of onshore flow occurred, beginning with east-northeast winds Saturday Night, which then shifted to the southeast on Sunday Night into Monday Morning April 16th. By Monday morning and afternoon, tidal flooding made its way up the Delaware River to Philadelphia as a result of the onshore flow.

A complex area of low pressure over the Middle Atlantic, which involved several individual centers, slowly consolidated off the Virginia Capes Tuesday Morning, March 20th into Wednesday March 20st along a frontal boundary. This primary low, the fourth nor'easter of the month, gradually moved northeast Wednesday Night, to a position southeast of the 40 North/70 West ���Benchmark��� coordinates on Thursday Morning. ||As precipitation moved northward into a colder air mass across the area on on Tuesday, March 20th, snow and sleet developed in Southeast Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours.||During Tuesday evening, a mixed bag of precipitation developed, with freezing rain, sleet, and snow, except rain closer to the coast. ||Freezing rain lead to ice accretion up to 0.20��� across portions of far Southeastern Pennsylvania, causing downed trees and limbs, which impacted power lines, and lead to power outages. ||After midnight, during the overnight hours of Tuesday into Wednesday, a changeover to snow occurred across the Lehigh Valley, while the higher elevations of Eastern Pennsylvania remained dry. A gradual change over to snow occurred across the remainder of Eastern Pennsylvania through the mid-morning hours of Wednesday, March 21st. Meanwhile, snow began in the higher elevations of Eastern Pennsylvania during the mid to late morning hours of Wednesday. ||Moderate to heavy snowfall developed, and gradually overspread Eastern Pennsylvania from Wednesday Morning into the evening. Snowfall rates, particularly outside of the higher elevations of Northeast Pennsylvania were around one inch per hour at times. While the snow ended Wednesday Evening in the higher elevations of Eastern Pennsylvania, it gradually ended from west to east across the remainder of the region around midnight. ||Snowfall amounts ranged from less than 6 inches in the Southern Poconos of Eastern Pennsylvania to around 15 inches in the Lehigh Valley, then tapering down to 6 to 8 inches in far Southeast Pennsylvania.||The weight of the heavy, wet snow brought down trees, limbs, and power lines across portions of far Southeast Pennsylvania, which lead to power outages.

A broad area of low pressure extending from the Ohio Valley to the Piedmont of South Carolina consolidated off the Virginia Capes during the early morning of March 7th. This new primary low moved northeast and gradually deepened as it passed east of the Delaware and New Jersey Coasts on March 7th.||Precipitation gradually overspread the region during the overnight hours of March 6th to the 7th. Precipitation fell mainly as snow. ||The snow fell heavy at times. Snowfall amounts generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches with localized amounts of 12 to 15 inches just north and west of I-95 in a swath from central Chester County northeast through central and southern Bucks County. One emergency manager reported snowfall rates up to 4 inches per hour in thundersnow near Levittown (Bucks County). ||The snow contained large amounts of liquid, making it heavy and wet. This led to downed trees, limbs, and wires resulting in numerous power outages.||Governor Wolf declared a State of Emergency for all of eastern Pennsylvania for the event.||The City of Philadelphia declared a Snow Emergency beginning at 8 AM Wednesday, March 7th based on anticipated conditions. City and state offices were closed, as were all public and parochial schools. ||Montgomery County declared a Disaster Emergency from 7 PM Tuesday through 3 AM Thursday, March 8th.||A Declaration of Disaster Emergency was issued for Delaware County. All government offices were closed.||Flights were cancelled at all the major airports due to the storm, and Amtrak cancelled at least some Wednesday service.||The heavy, wet snow, coupled with strong winds, caused power outages in addition to existing power outages caused by the previous storm. Hardest hit was Bucks County where up to 47,000 customers experienced power outages from this storm. In Montgomery County, approximately 12,000 customers lost power. Up to 8,000 customers lost power in Delaware County from the storm. Monroe County experienced over 6,000 new power outages from this storm. Several hundred power outages were reported in Berks County.||The Port of Philadelphia was closed Wednesday, March 7th, and would reopen late the following day.

A cold front stalled across the region on March 1st. Meanwhile, a wave of low pressure developed along this front in the Ohio Valley and move eastward, explosively deepening just southeast of Long Island on March 2nd. This large and very deep area of low pressure moved slowly east over the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean through Sunday March 4th. This led to a variety of weather hazards during this time frame.||Strong northwest winds with gusts to near 60 mph occurred on March 2nd and 3rd. This led to widespread damage to trees and power lines, which in turn induced extensive power outages across the region. There was one fatality in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, PA, when a tree fell on a vehicle. ||Heavy rainfall occurred over eastern Pennsylvania on March 1st and 2nd, with widespread rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches. Areal and minor small stream flooding occurred.||As the rain changed to snow on the 2nd, localized heavy snowfall occurred, particularly over the higher elevations. Southeast of Interstate 95, up to around 3 inches of snowfall was observed. To the northwest of Interstate 95, nearly 6 inches of snow was measured with localized amounts of around 9 inches. Higher elevations mainly to the north of Interstate 80 generally reported greater than 9 inches of snow, with amounts up to 24 inches above 2,000 feet.||On Friday night, March 2nd, Governor Tom Wolf activated the Pennsylvania National Guard to support local response to the storm.

A strong low pressure system moved up the east coast producing heavy rain and strong winds. The strong winds took down trees across Berks county in such places as Bethel Township, Greenfield Manor, Schultzville, Birdsboro, Unionville and Mount Penn. Other reports of wind damage in PA include trees and wires down throughout Northhampton county along with trees down in Bristol and Philadelphia. Wires were also downed due to wind in Green Countrie village in Delaware county along with A pole falling onto a car on 60th street in West Philadelphia. Rainfall totals on average were over 2 inches in all Eastern PA counties with the highest totals of 2.75 inches in Bradford twp and 2.67 inches at Morris Park. Thousands of people lost power across the region. Top gusts were generally around 45 mph.

A strong low pressure system over the Great Lakes and a departing high pressure system to our east lead to a tight pressure gradient and a round of strong winds.Several thousand people lost power due to the strong winds. Trees were downed in Lower Saucon and Mount Bethel Townships in Northhampton County. Several other locations that saw wind damage in terms of downed trees include Lafayette, Sunnybrook, Kennedy House and Eagleville in Monhtgomery county, Franklinville and Fairmount in Philadelphia county and Radnor station in Delaware county. Trees and wires were taken down due to the high winds in Trinty House (Chester county). The strongest winds occured between 4 and 9 am.

A hot and humid airmass with weak boundaries led to slow moving strong to severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail and flooding. A few thousand people lost power.

A stalled frontal boundary was the focus for several rounds of thunderstorms that produced damaging winds and flooding in spots. Over 8,000 people lost power.

Several days of record warmth came to an end with a frontal passage. Abnormally high moisture and instability was present ahead of the front. This led to a line of showers and thunderstorms ahead of the front that produced damaging winds and hail during the late afternoon hours. Thousands of people lost power and the hardest hit regions were from Berks county northward into the Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia International had a ground stop during the storms with numerous flight delays.

An area of low pressure over North Carolina on the 23rd strengthened and moved northeast to a location just off the New Jersey Coastline on the morning of the 24th. With a very tight pressure gradient, winds increased ahead of the storm reaching in excess of 50 mph. Some damage occurred as a result of the high winds. A few periods of heavy rainfall occurred but it did not result in flooding. The storm also brought a strong onshore flow which resulted in spotty minor tidal flooding for the high tide cycles on the 23rd and 24th. Also, it was cold enough for a wintry mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain in the Southern Poconos. ice accumulations up to two tenths of an inch were measured in Monroe county. SEPTA and Amtrak reported many delays and cancellations are well due to the storm. Over 10,000 people lost power as well.

A trough of low pressure moving through the region produced a quick moving line of thunderstorms. These thunderstorms produced widespread wind damage across most of eastern PA with numerous power outages.

A strong cold front associated with a low pressure system moving through New York State swept across the area during the late evening hours of April 2nd and early morning hours of April 3rd, accompanied by thunderstorms, very strong convectively driven winds, and small hail. As colder air behind this front drained south, precipitation changed to snow, with one to two inches falling in the higher elevations of the southern Poconos and isolated spots throughout southeastern Pennsylvania in squalls. The parent low pressure system then quickly intensified as it continued to move northeast away from the area. The gradient between this low pressure system and incoming high pressure produced strong winds gusting over 60 MPH in some localities from late overnight through the morning hours of April 3rd. Some reported peak wind gusts included: 55 MPH near Deer Lake at 0744EST (Berks County), 52 MPH in Perkasie at 0555EST (Bucks County), 58 MPH near Cochranville at 0730EST (Chester County), 53 MPH near Cheyney at 1140EST (Delaware County), 50 MPH at Lehigh Valley International Airport at 0530EST (Northampton County), 60 MPH at Pocono Mountains Airport at 1013EST (Monroe County), 46 MPH at Pottstown Limerick Airport at 0531EST (Montgomery County), and 59 MPH at Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 2345EST (Philadelphia County). In terms of snowfall, 2.0 inches was reported in Kidder Township (Carbon County), 1.5 inches in Mount Pocono, and 1.0 inches in Tobyhanna (both in Monroe County). 45,000 PECO customers lost power during this event.

A strong low pressure system moving north through the Great Lakes region, combined with its associated warm front and cold front, copious amounts of moisture, and low level jet, produced strong to severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, flash flooding, and stream flooding in Eastern Pennsylvania late Wednesday afternoon and evening, February 24th, with stream flooding continuing into Thursday, February 25th. Most electric outlets reported thousands of power outages.

An impulse from the west coast traversed the midsection of the country, then developed into a low pressure system as it tracked across the Gulf states before intensifying along the Carolina coast into a major nor'easter, producing record snowfall in eastern Pennsylvania from late January 22nd into early January 24th. It then moved out to sea after passing by the mid-Atlantic coast early on January 24th.||Snow began falling during the Friday afternoon commute on January 22nd, then continued, heavy at times, Friday night into early Sunday morning. Wind gusts over 35 MPH produced blizzard conditions as visibilities dropped to one-quarter mile or less in spots. Some representative snowfall totals include: 33.5 inches in Laureldale (Berks County), 30.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks), 23.0 in Furlong (Bucks), 18 inches near Palmerton (Carbon), 30.1 inches in Malvern (Chester), 22 inches in Bromall (Delaware), 32.0 inches in Center Valley (Lehigh), 17.5 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe), 31.0 inches in Eagleville (Montgomery), 31.1 inches in Forks Township (Northampton), and 22.3 inches at Fire Station 78 in Philadelphia. ||This storm set several new snowfall records at Allentown. A total of 30.2 inches of snow fell at the Lehigh Valley International Airport on the 23rd, establishing a new record for the date. The previous record daily maximum snowfall for January 23rd was 7.7 inches set in 1966. It was the greatest calendar day snowfall at Allentown, replacing the 24.0 inches that fell on February 11, 1983. The two-day total for this storm was 31.9 inches at Allentown, which is a new record as well. The previous record two-day snowfall total was 25.6 inches set on January 7 and 8, 1996. Allentown's normal seasonal snowfall of 32.9 inches was almost exceeded by this one storm. Also, the liquid equivalent precipitation total at the Lehigh Valley International Airport was 1.65 inches on January 23rd, establishing a new record for the date. The previous record daily precipitation total for January 23rd was 1.39 inches set in 1983. ||A total of 19.4 inches of snow fell at the Philadelphia International Airport on January 23rd, establishing a new record for the date. The previous record daily maximum snowfall for January 23rd was 11.9 inches set in 1935. It was the 5th greatest calendar day snowfall at Philadelphia with the top spot being held by the 27.6 inches of snow that fell on January 7, 1996. The two-day total for this storm was 22.4 inches at Philadelphia, which is exactly equal to the city's normal snowfall for the entire season. The two-day storm total of 22.4 inches was the 4th greatest on record for Philadelphia dating back to the 1870s. The greatest two-day total on record is 30.7 inches on January 7-8, 1996.||Power outages were minimal during this event, in part due to the strong winds which prevented snow from accumulating on trees and wires, but not so strong as to knock them down. Philadelphia Electric Company reported only 140 customers in the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region without power on Saturday. Numerous stranded vehicles were reported throughout eastern Pennsylvania because of poor driving conditions produced by heavy snow. In Montgomery County alone, more than 300 stranded-vehicle calls came into the 911 center from Friday night into Saturday afternoon. Snow removal costs totaled from $300-500 K in the city of Bethlehem. In Philadelphia, the total cost for snow removal was over $7 million. ||Five deaths were reported in eastern Pennsylvania as a result of this blizzard. A 55-year-old Allentown man was found unconscious in his car on Sunday, January 24th after being overcome by exhaust fumes, and died the following Tuesday from related complications. A 54-year-old Allentown man collapsed from a heart attack Saturday night, January 23rd while shoveling snow. A 56-year-old Muhlenburg Township (Berks County) man died from carbon monoxide poisoning after his idling car was buried in snow from a passing plow on Saturday evening, January 24th. An 18-year-old Pottstown (Montgomery County) woman died on Sunday, January 25th after shoveling snow. Finally, an 88-year-old Lower Providence Township (Montgomery County) man died on Saturday, January 24th after shoveling snow.||Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared a State of Emergency on Thursday, January 21st for the duration of the event. Schools and many businesses recessed early on Friday afternoon in anticipation of the storm. Philadelphia International Airport canceled all Saturday flights, and 155 departures and 133 arrivals scheduled for Sunday. Governor Wolf stated the costs to the state were over $55 million and he has requested Federal Disaster Assistance. On March 23, 2016, President Obama declared the following counties federal disaster areas: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia. This declaration makes federal funding available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation and snow assistance for a continuous 480hour period during the storm.

The combination of an unseasonably hot and humid air mass, an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft caused a squall line of severe thunderstorms to move through southeast Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and early evening of the 23rd. Estimated wind gusts as high as around 85 mph knocked down hundreds and hundreds of trees and caused some structural damage to homes and vehicles, mainly from fallen trees. Four people were injured in Philadelphia. Hardest hit were Philadelphia, Chester and in particular central and western Delaware County. Delaware County declared a state of emergency and suffered an estimated five million dollars in property damage. Five people were injured. While there were multiple reports of funnel clouds, no confirmed tornadoes occurred. Numerous homes and vehicles were damaged, mainly by fallen trees. Many roads were impassable through the next day because of downed trees. SEPTA had to suspend all of its commuter regional rail service on the 23rd in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area because of debris on the tracks and downed wires. Full service was back on the 25th. Amtrak suspended both Northeast Corridor Service between Philadelphia and Washington D.C. and Keystone service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. That service was restored on the 24th. PECO Energy reported about 250,000 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania: close to 100,000 in Delaware County, close 75,000 in Chester County and nearly 50,000 within Philadelphia. Mutual assistance repair crews from Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, West Virginia and New York helped with repairs. At 6 a.m. EDT on the 24th, about 161,000 customers (half in Delaware County) were still without power. That number dropped to 121,000 on the evening of the 24th, 50,000 on the 25th and 16,000 on the 26th. Full restoration occurred on the 28th. In Chester County, Verizon Wireless cell phone service was also lost on the 23rd and the 24th. Commuters were stuck on a train after power was lost on the 23rd. County courts remained closed on the 24th. In Delaware County, PPL Park was used to distribute ice, cell phone recharge and showers. County offices re-opened on the 25th.

An approaching cold front helped trigger a line of showers and thunderstorms that produced some wind damage as it intensified as it moved through the local Philadelphia area and eastern Lehigh Valley during the afternoon of the 22nd. Peak wind gusts reached around 70 mph within Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 8,000 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania. A few of the sub-severe wind gusts included 55 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 47 mph in Reading (Berks County) and 45 mph in Allentown (Lehigh County).

A winter storm on the first day of astronomical spring dropped snow across Eastern Pennsylvania on the 20th into the 21st. Before precipitation ended, it transitioned to freezing rain in the Philadelphia northern suburbs and plain rain in the local Philadelphia area. Snowfall averaged 3 to 7 inches with the highest amounts in Lehigh County and the Philadelphia northern suburbs. Ice accumulations in the Philadelphia northern suburbs were less than five hundredths of an inch. It was a heavy, wet snow and the snow did knock down some weak trees and tree limbs and caused widely scattered power outages in the Philadelphia northern suburbs. The snow also caused traveling difficulties during the afternoon and early evening. Some schools dismissed children early. ||The snow spread south to north between 630 a.m. EDT and 930 a.m. EDT on the 20th. The snow fell heavy at times from the late morning into the afternoon in Philadelphia and the northern suburbs. Around the start of the evening, the snow changed to rain in the local Philadelphia area, but changed to freezing rain in the Philadelphia northern suburbs in the early evening. Precipitation ended during the middle to late evening of the 20th, except in the Poconos where the snow ended very early on the 21st. ||Bucks County was hardest hit with power outages and still had around 1,750 homes and businesses without power on the morning of the 21st. SEPTA had to reroute some bus routes during the afternoon of the 20th in southeast Pennsylvania. In Berks County, a jack-knifed tractor trailer caused the closure of westbound Interstate 78 for several hours. In Chester County, one woman was injured in a traffic accident on Pennsylvania State Route 162 in West Chester. Flights at the Philadelphia International Airport were delayed up to two hours. In all the snow caused more than 1,150 flights to be cancelled on the 20th in the northeastern United States. Some exhibitions and shows in the Lehigh Valley were cancelled. The Lehigh Valley Auto Show closed early. | |Representative snowfall included 7.5 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 6.2 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 6.1 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 6.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), Gilbertsville (Montgomery County) and Langhorne (Bucks County), 5.7 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), 5.5 inches in Ambler (Montgomery County), 5.2 inches in Hellertown (Northampton County), 5.0 inches in Exton (Chester County), 4.9 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 4.8 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 4.5 inches in Glendon (Northampton County), Oley (Berks County) and Wyndmoor (Philadelphia County), 4.4 inches in Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 4.3 inches in Reading (Berks County) and Bossardsville (Monroe County), 4.2 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 4.1 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 3.9 inches in West Chester (Chester County) and the Philadelphia International Airport, 3.5 inches in Penndel (Bucks County), 3.0 inches in Kidder Township (Carbon County).||The snow was caused by a low pressure system that formed off the South Carolina coast early on the 20th. The low pressure system proceeded to move northeast and at 2 p.m. EDT on the 20th was located near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The low pressure system was near the Delmarva coastal waters at 8 p.m. EDT on the 20th and from there it proceeded to move east the rest of the evening and overnight. The combination of a favorable storm track and sufficient cold air in place made it possible for it to snow in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Waves of low pressure that formed along a sinking cold front brought most of Eastern Pennsylvania (except the Poconos) heavy snow. Snowfall averaged 7 to 11 inches in the local Philadelphia area and its suburbs, 4 to 10 inches in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and 1 to 4 inches in the Poconos. It was the heaviest snowfall of the season for Philadelphia and its nearby suburbs. Nearly all schools in Eastern Pennsylvania were closed on the 5th. Some were also closed the next day. The snow also caused hazardous travel and numerous accidents. Philadelphia and many municipalities declared snow emergencies. | |Precipitation with this event started as rain on the 4th. As colder air moved in from the north and precipitation intensity increased, the rain changed to all snow in the Poconos during the late evening on the 4th and then from the Lehigh Valley and Berks County around 1 a.m. EST on the 5th southeastward reaching the local Philadelphia area around 5 a.m. EST on the 5th. The snow fell heavy at times in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County during the morning of the 5th and in southeast Pennsylvania from the middle of the morning through the early afternoon of the 5th. The snow ended in the middle of the afternoon in the Poconos, Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and around 6 p.m. EST in southeast Pennsylvania including Philadelphia.| |The heavy snow forced speed reductions on many major roadways and interstates in Eastern Pennsylvania. Speed restrictions were also in place on the bridges crossing the Delaware River in and around Philadelphia. Nevertheless, Interstate 78 was closed for four hours in Greenwich Township (Berks County) due to a jack-knifed tractor trailer and fuel spill and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76) was closed for more than four hours due to a multiple tractor trailer accident in West Pikeland Township (Chester County). Four people were injured in the collision of a SEPTA bus and vehicle in Philadelphia. There were at least 650 flight cancellations in and out of Philadelphia International Airport. Flights that were not canceled had average delays of two and a half hours. SEPTA suspended service on several of its regional commuter rail lines in southeast Pennsylvania. Amtrak modified its Northeast Corridor schedule as well as its train schedule to Harrisburg. Many shopping malls in the greater Philadelphia area were closed. PECO Energy reported 3,000 of its customers lost power. Trash collections and meetings were postponed.||The impact from the heavy snow continued into the 6th. In Lehigh County, a jack-knifed tractor trailer on Westbound Pennsylvania State Route 309 in South Whitehall Township knocked down a light pole onto a ramp for eastbound Pennsylvania State Route 222. Two people were injured skidding into another tractor-trailer on Tilghman Street in Upper Macungie. In the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, many schools were also closed on the 6th. SEPTA suspended some commuter bus lines into the 6th and flight delays at Philadelphia International Airport persisted into the 6th. ||Representative snowfall included 11.3 inches in East Nantmeal Township (Chester County), 10.4 inches in King of Prussia (Montgomery County), 10.0 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), 9.7 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County), 9.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County) and Williams Township (Northampton County), 8.9 inches in New London (Chester County), Royersford (Montgomery County) and Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 7.8 inches in Reading (Berks County) and Jenkintown (Montgomery County), 7.5 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 7.2 inches in Spring City (Chester County) and Somerton (Philadelphia County), 6.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 6.5 inches in Hellertown (Northampton County), 4.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 3.1 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 2.0 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County) and 1.0 inch in Mount Pocono (Monroe County).||The cold front moved through New Jersey on the evening of the 4th. The wave of low pressure on the front was in the Tennessee Valley at that time. At 7 a.m. EST on the 5th, it reached western North Carolina and at 1 p.m. EST on the 5th, the strongest low pressure system wave was near Wilmington, North Carolina. Waves of low pressure continued to sink father south and at 7 p.m. EST on the 5th, the strongest wave was over central South Carolina. That wave and the associated cold front continued to move farther to the southeast that evening bringing an end to the snow in New Jersey. The fresh snow cover and clear skies that occurred overnight led to new daily low temperature records at both the Lehigh Valley International Airport (3 degrees above zero) and at Reading (2 degrees above zero).

An approaching warm front generated a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain in Eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of the 3rd. Snow and/or sleet accumulations averaged 1 to 3 inches in the Lehigh Valley and Poconos and around an inch or less throughout the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania. Ice accumulations averaged around one tenth of an inch. The wintry mix led to many traffic accidents (one with a fatality) as well as causing isolated power outages. A few thousand homes and businesses lost power in the Philadelphia suburbs. | |Snow began falling throughout most of Eastern Pennsylvania between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. EST on the 3rd. In the Poconos, a mixture of sleet and snow fell into the middle of the evening on the 3rd before a transition to freezing rain. The freezing rain ended shortly after Midnight EST on the 4th and overnight as more precipitation moved in, it fell as rain. Across the Lehigh Valley, the snow changed to sleet toward evening on the 3rd and then to freezing rain during the first half of the evening. The freezing rain changed to plain rain late that evening. Across the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania, the snow changed to sleet during the middle of the afternoon on the 3rd and to just freezing rain later that afternoon. Precipitation ended late that evening as plain rain, except some pockets of freezing rain persisted in the colder northern Philadelphia suburbs. ||In Northampton County, in Stockertown, a 46-year-old man was killed after the box truck he was driving collided with a tractor-trailer on southbound Pennsylvania State Route 33 early on the 4th. The roadway was closed for four hours. Earlier that night, police temporarily shut down part of Pennsylvania State Route 33 north of Pen Argyl because of five miles of black ice on the road. On the evening of the 3rd, a disabled vehicle on the southbound Blue Route (Interstate 476) in Montgomery County caused a major back-up. Many spin-outs were reported on Interstate 95 in and around Philadelphia. Speed reductions were in place on nearly every major turnpike and highway in Eastern Pennsylvania. In southeastern Pennsylvania SEPTA train, buses and trolley routes all had delays. Philadelphia International Airport had twenty percent of its flights cancelled, with several hundred others delayed. Many schools had early dismissals and cancelled after school activities. Many schools had delayed openings on the 4th. Schools in the Lehigh Valley were also closed on the 4th. ||Representative snow and sleet fall included 3.2 inches in Bartonsville (Monroe County), 2.8 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 2.5 inches in Bushkill Township (Northampton County), 1.8 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 1.7 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 1.5 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Fleetwood (Berks County), 1.2 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 1.0 inch in Perkasie (Bucks County), 0.8 inches in Spring Mount (Montgomery County), 0.7 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County), 0.5 inches at Langhorne (Bucks County) and Blue Bell (Montgomery County and 0.3 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County). ||Representative ice accumulations included 0.13 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 0.10 in New London (Chester County), Reading (Berks County), Doylestown (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Lebanon (Hunterdon County) and around 0.05 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Philadelphia.| |The wintry mix of precipitation was caused by the combination of an arctic high pressure system leaving cold air in place near the surface that was overrun by milder air aloft preceding a warm front lifting through the Tennessee and Ohio River Valleys on the 3rd. This push of warm air did work its way down to the surface overnight on the 3rd.

Double barrel low pressure systems brought a winter storm to Eastern Pennsylvania on the 1st. All snow fell in the Poconos. Elsewhere a combination of snow, sleet and especially freezing rain in the Philadelphia metropolitan area affected Eastern Pennsylvania. Snowfall averaged one to four inches, but ice accumulations on exposed surfaces reached as high as around one-quarter of an inch in southeastern Pennsylvania. This caused widely scattered power outages.||Precipitation started as snow and spread from the Poconos southeast between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. EST on the 1st. The snow fell heavier at times from around Noon into the afternoon in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the northern Philadelphia suburbs. Precipitation changed to sleet from Philadelphia north through the Lehigh Valley from around Noon EST into the late afternoon on the 1st. Precipitation changed to freezing rain in Philadelphia and its suburbs during the early and mid afternoon on the 1st and in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley during the late afternoon and early evening on the 1st. Precipitation ended during the middle and late evening of the 1st. Many schools had delayed openings on Monday March 2nd. | |Representative ice accumulations included 0.3 inches in Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 0.25 inches in Norwood (Delaware County). 0.2 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and Coatesville (Chester County), 0.13 inches in Exton (Chester County), 0.1 inch in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Doylestown (Bucks County) and 0.05 inches in Reading (Berks County) and Gilbertsville (Montgomery County). ||Representative snowfall included 4.0 inches in Hamburg (Berks County) and Lake Harmony (Carbon County), 3.8 inches in Spring Mount (Montgomery County), 3.7 inches in Gilbert (Monroe County), 3.5 inches in Hellertown (Northampton County), 3.3 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County), 3.2 inches in Springtown (Bucks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2.7 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 2.5 inches in Reading (Berks County) and East Nantmeal (Chester County), 2.4 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 2.1 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 2.0 inches in Bedminster (Bucks County), 1.9 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 1.3 inches in Chester Springs (Chester County) and Garnet Valley (Delaware County) and 0.4 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.||The winter storm was caused by the combination of an arctic high pressure system that left plenty of cold air in place near the surface and a low pressure system from the South that pumped precipitation into the region. At 7 a.m. EST on the 1st, a pair of low pressure systems were in Mississippi and the western Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast. During the early afternoon, while the low pressure system moved into the Tennessee Valley, a new low pressure system was forming off of the South Carolina coast. The latter low pressure system moved rapidly northeast and was off the New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 1st while the latter low pressure system became part of a series of lows along a cold front west of the Appalachians. The coastal low pressure system passed near Nantucket, Massachusetts around Midnight EST on the 2nd. It took most of the associated moisture and precipitation with it as the inland low pressure systems and frontal boundary weakened overnight.

A winter storm produced a protracted mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain across southeast Pennsylvania and Berks County and mainly just snow in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos from the late morning of the 21st through the overnight of the 21st. Snowfall averaged 3 to 6 inches throughout the area. In addition to the snow, an average of one to two tenths of an inch of ice (highest toward the Interstate 95 corridor) in Berks County and southeast Pennsylvania also accumulated. The hardest hit locations were along the Interstate 95 corridor in and around Philadelphia. Travel was extremely difficult, especially during the second half of the afternoon and evening. ||Precipitation started as snow throughout Eastern Pennsylvania around Noon EST on the 21st. In the Poconos precipitation remained as snow. In the Lehigh Valley, the snow fell briefly heavy at times during the early afternoon and briefly mixed with sleet. The snow ended during the pre-dawn hours on the 22nd. In Berks County, the snow changed to a wintry mix after Midnight EST on the 22nd and the precipitation ended toward dawn on the 22nd. In the Philadelphia northern suburbs, the snow fell briefly heavy at times during the afternoon of the 21st and then changed to sleet and freezing rain late in the evening of the 21st and ended as freezing rain toward dawn on the 22nd. In the local Philadelphia area, the snow (heavy at times during the afternoon) changed to sleet and then freezing rain during the first half of the evening on the 21st and then to plain rain late that evening. The rain ended around sunrise on the 22nd. ||In Philadelphia, a ground stop was in effect for several hours at the Philadelphia International Airport. About 20 percent of the flights in and out of the airport were cancelled. In Montgomery County, a jack-knifed tractor-trailer forced the closure of the southbound Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Whitpain Township. State police were responding to numerous accidents in Chester and Delaware Counties. The speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, most other major interstates and highways in Eastern Pennsylvania and the Delaware River Bridges around Philadelphia was reduced. In southeast Pennsylvania, SEPTA reported that numerous bus routes were detoured and regional rail service experienced delays up to 30 minutes. In Chester County in Phoenixville, the weight of the snow and ice took down several trees and power lines and caused outages to several hundred residents. In the Lehigh Valley, there were also a flurry of cancellations and accidents. In Lehigh County, a 79-year-old man was badly injured in a two car accident on Schantz Road in Upper Macungie Township. In Northampton County, a vehicle drove into a tree in Lower Saucon Township. A side effect of all of the wintry weather was that several municipalities in Delaware County reported that residents complained about a salty taste to their drinking water. ||Representative ice accumulations included 0.25 inches in Bala Cynwyd (Montgomery County), 0.20 inches and 0.15 inches within Philadelphia, 0.1 inch in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Pottstown and Montgomeryville (Montgomery County), 0.06 inches in Spring City (Chester County) and .03 inches in Reading (Berks County). | |Representative snowfall included 6.0 inches in Ridley Park (Delaware County), 5.5 inches in Danielsville (Northampton County), 5.2 inches in Nottingham (Chester County), 5.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 4.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 4.6 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County), 4.5 inches in Jenkintown (Montgomery County) 4.4 inches in Kennett Square (Chester County), Wyndmoor (Philadelphia) and Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 4.3 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Springtown (Bucks County), 4.0 inches in Reading and Hamburg (Berks County), Glendon (Northampton County) and Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 3.9 inches in Ross Township (Monroe County), 3.8 inches in Quakertown (Bucks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 3.7 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 3.6 inches in Kutztown (Berks County), 3.5 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County), 3.3 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 3.2 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 3.1 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Thorndale and West Chester (Chester County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 2.8 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County) and 2.5 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County).||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that moved northeast from the southern Mississippi River Valley on the morning of the 21st, to the Tennessee River Valley on the early evening of the 21st, into south central Pennsylvania early on the 22nd and then rapidly reached the Canadian Maritimes on the morning of the 22nd. In spite of the surface high pressure system being offshore (in an unfavorable position normally for snow) at the onset of the event, the combination of extremely cold antecedent conditions and a relatively weak low pressure system (made it more difficult to remove cold air near the surface) still caused a winter weather event in Eastern Pennsylvania.

The arrival of another arctic air mass brought some of the lowest wind chills and temperatures of the winter season to Pennsylvania 20th and 21st and was responsible for three cold related deaths. With respect to wind chill factors, the late evening on the 19th and the first half of the day on the 20th was colder with wind chill factors as low as around 35 degrees below zero in the Poconos and around 20 degrees below zero elsewhere during the morning. Actual low temperatures were around zero, except below zero in the Poconos. On the morning of the 21st, little, if any, wind was present as the arctic high pressure system was nearby. Low temperatures in more rural inland areas were lower, many were below zero. But, because of the lack of wind, wind chill factors nearly matched the air temperatures and it felt relatively warmer on the morning of the 21st. ||Code Blue emergencies were declared throughout the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Many school districts on the 20th had delayed openings. In Philadelphia, an 80 year-old woman who also suffered from dementia and lived in the West Philadelphia section died from hypothermia. A second elderly woman from Philadelphia also died from hypothermia. In Lehigh County, an 86-year-old man with several other medical issues also died from hypothermia. ||The arctic air mass also caused school delayed openings as well as burst water pipes and mains. On the 21st, in Philadelphia, about 500 people were displaced from the Rittenhouse Claridge Apartments by a power outage that was caused by a broken sprinkler pipe in a vacant next door store. A water main break in Port Richmond forced dozens of families from their homes.| |Lowest hourly wind chill factors included 34 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 23 degrees below zero in Doylestown (Bucks County), 22 degrees below zero in Coatesville (Chester County) and Reading (Berks County), 21 degrees below zero in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 17 degrees below zero at the Philadelphia International Airport.||Actual lowest temperatures on either the 20th or 21st included 11 degrees below zero in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 10 degree below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 3 degrees below zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2 degrees below zero in Reading (Berks County), Perkasie (Bucks County) and Nazareth (Northampton County), 1 degree below zero in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Spring City and West Chester in Chester County, zero in Swathmore (Delaware County), 1 degree above zero in Bala Cynwyd (Montgomery County) and Langhorne (Bucks County) and 2 degrees above zero at the the Philadelphia International Airport.||The low temperatures of 2 degrees on the 20th and the 16th in Philadelphia were the coldest winter days in the city since January 20, 1994 (the low as 1 degree above zero) and the coldest February lows since February 20, 1979. The low temperature of 3 degrees below zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport on the 21st broke the daily record set in 1936 and the low temperature of 10 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono on the 21st broke the daily record set in 1993. ||The latest cold outbreak was caused by an arctic high pressure system that arrived in Eastern Pennsylvania late in the afternoon on the 20th. The wind and subsequent low wind chill values was caused by the pressure difference between the approaching high pressure system and an intensifying low pressure system that moved through the Canadian Maritimes overnight on the 19th and on the 20th. While some low temperatures were lower on the morning of the 21st, there was little if any wind and the air and wind chill values that morning were one in the same. As the high pressure system moved offshore, more wintry precipitation arrived later in the day on the 21st.

The increasing pressure difference (gradient) between a rapidly intensifying low pressure system offshore and an arctic high pressure system moving east from the Great Lakes caused strong northwest winds to occur in Eastern Pennsylvania on the 15th through the early afternoon. Some even higher and damaging winds occurred in the local Philadelphia area, the Lehigh Valley and higher terrain of the Poconos during the morning of the 15th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph and knocked down or snapped trees and tree limbs. This caused downed wires and power outages. The high winds also stripped siding from homes and caused isolated property damage. The strong to high winds hampered road crews trying to keep roadways clear from the snow that fell on the 14th. PECO Energy reported that 13,000 of its customers lost power. Pennsylvania Power and Light reported 1,600 of its customers in the Poconos lost power. It also ushered into Eastern Pennsylvania one of the coldest air masses of the entire winter season. ||In Philadelphia, the high winds toppled a 115-year-old/70 foot high steeple of a church on Cottman Avenue. The high winds also knocked a large limb into the bedroom of a house on School House Lane. Some flights were cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport. In Delaware County, the high winds knocked down a huge tree that destroyed one home on Spruce Road in Newtown Square. It narrowly missed severely harming the family of four inside of the home. The mother had to be rescued and suffered minor injuries. SEPTA Regional Rail Service had delays and service was completely suspended between Lansdale (Montgomery) and Doylestown (Bucks County) because of downed wires. PECO Energy reported that most of the power outages in its service area were in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. All power was restored by the night of the 15th. Speed limits on Delaware River bridges in and around Philadelphia as well as on major interstates were reduced. In the Poconos, numerous trees were knocked down. Power outages were concentrated in Chestnuthill Township in Monroe County and Towamensing Township in Carbon County. ||Peak wind gusts included 61 mph in Newtown Square (Delaware County), 59 mph in Bushkill Township (Northampton County), 57 mph in Lenhartsville (Berks County), 54 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Oxford (Chester County), 52 mph in West Grove (Chester County), 49 mph in Reading (Berks County), 47 mph in Coatesville (Chester County) and Perkasie (Bucks County) and 44 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County).||The high winds were caused by the increasing pressure gradient (difference) between the rapidly intensifying offshore low pressure system and a high pressure system over the western Great Lakes. The low pressure system deepened (intensified) from 996 millibars at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th to 978 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th, 972 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 15th and 962 millibars as it passed through Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST on the 15th. The arctic high pressure system also was quite strong and averaged 1042 millibars while the highest winds were occurring. The strong to high winds ceased on the afternoon of the 15th when the low pressure system was sufficiently east of Pennsylvania (and the high pressure system reached Michigan) for the strongest pressure gradient to move offshore.

Strong, gusty northwest winds occurred in the wake of a departing and intensifying low pressure system during the late afternoon and early evening on the 2nd in Eastern Pennsylvania. One motorist was killed by a downed tree in Delaware County. Peak wind gusts average around 50 mph and knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and wires. Power outages occurred. This was further exacerbated by snow and ice on tree limbs. In Chester County alone, about 8,000 homes and businesses lost power. ||A 54-year-old man was killed in Radnor Township (Delaware County) driving along Sproul Road when a falling tree crushed and compressed the roof into the vehicle���s passenger compartment. The vehicle before stopping struck another vehicle, but the occupants of the other vehicle were not hurt. Peak winds included 53 mph in Lenhartsville (Berks County), 48 mph at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 47 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 46 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, Reading (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County) and 45 mph at the Lehigh Valley international Airport. ||The strong winds occurred as a low pressure system south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts started to intensify more rapidly as it moved northeast on the evening of the 2nd. This increased the pressure gradient (difference) between it and an approaching high pressure system from the central Mississippi Valley. As the low pressure system approached the Canadian Maritimes during the second half of that evening, the pressure gradient weakened and winds started to slowly decrease.

A winter storm brought snow, freezing rain and then snow at the end to the Poconos and Lehigh Valley on the 1st into the afternoon of the 2nd. In Berks County and the northern Philadelphia suburbs, a transition from snow to freezing rain and then rain occurred, while in the immediate Philadelphia area, a transition from snow to plain rain occurred. In the Lehigh Valley and Poconos snowfall averaged 5 to 10 inches with around an additional one-tenth of an inch of ice. In Berks County and the Philadelphia northern suburbs, 1 to 4 inches of snow fell with one tenth of an inch or less of ice and in the immediate Philadelphia area around an inch of snow fell before it changed to rain. The combination caused very slick traveling conditions and impacted the ravel through the 2nd. In addition, winds caused about 8,000 homes and businesses to lose power in southeast Pennsylvania. ||Precipitation started as snow throughout Eastern Pennsylvania on the 1st. It began in the afternoon in the Poconos, the late afternoon in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the northern Philadelphia suburbs and in the late evening in the local Philadelphia area. The snow transitioned briefly to sleet and then rain in the local Philadelphia area, its western suburbs and Berks County early on the 2nd. The rain ended during the late morning and early afternoon on the 2nd. In the Lehigh Valley and upper Bucks County, precipitation transitioned to a rain and freezing rain mixture during the early morning on the 2nd and then changed back to snow during the mid morning and ended during the early afternoon on the 2nd. In the Poconos, the snow fell heavy at times overnight on the 1st, changed to freezing rain on the morning of the 2nd for a few hours and then changed back to snow during the middle of the morning before ending close to Noon EST on the 2nd. ||Speed restrictions were in place on all of the Delaware River bridges in and around Philadelphia as well as major roadways in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County. In Bucks County, a jack-knifed truck closed Pennsylvania State Route 611 and there were multiple accidents on Pennsylvania State Route 309. In Philadelphia, due to slick conditions, Lincoln Drive was shut down in both directions from Wissahickon Avenue to Gypsy Lane. All schools were closed in the Lehigh Valley on the 2nd. Schools in southeast Pennsylvania including Philadelphia had delayed openings. Many after school afternoon and evening activities were cancelled.||Representative snowfall included 11.0 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 10.9 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 10.4 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 9.8 inches 8.2 inches in Parryville (Carbon County), 7.0 inches in Washington Township (Lehigh County), 6.5 inches in Nazareth (Northampton County), 5.8 inches in Macungie (Lehigh County), 5.4 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 3.9 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 3.7 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 3.0 inches in Mertztown (Berks County), 2.0 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 1.5 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and Exton (Chester County), 1.1 inches in Chadds Ford (Delaware County) and 0.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.||About 1/10th of an inch accumulated in Allentown (Lehigh County) and Mount Pocono (Monroe County).||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that moved from the lower Missouri Valley on the morning of the 1st eastward into Indiana on the evening of the 1st and western Pennsylvania early on the 2nd. During the mid morning of the 2nd, a secondary low pressure formed in the northern Delmarva Peninsula. It quickly became the primary low pressure system and exited to the east. At 1 p.m. EST on the 2nd it was just southeast of Montauk Point, Long Island. An arctic high pressure system that moved in tandem with the low pressure system across the southern tier of Canada prevented the low from traveling farther to the north and also kept a sufficient supply of cold air for precipitation to remain a wintry mix in the northeast part of Pennsylvania.

A winter storm dropped heavy snow in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley and a mixture of heavy snow with some sleet and freezing rain in Berks County and the far northern Philadelphia suburbs from the evening of the 23rd into the morning of the 24th. Less wintry precipitation (a faster switch to rain) occurred progressively closer to Philadelphia. Snowfall averaged 6 to 9 inches from Upper Bucks County northward through the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the Poconos; 2 to 5 inches across the remaining Philadelphia suburbs and 1 to 2 inches within Philadelphia. Ice accumulations were generally just a trace. At the height of the storm, one inch hourly snowfall rates were common.||The snow caused traveling difficulties as well as postponement of social activities on the 24th. In Berks County, a weather related crash on U.S. Route 222 in Spring Township near Broadcasting Road closed the roadway for one hour. Also the snow caused power outages to about 100 Metropolitan Edison customers in the county. Some snow emergencies were declared in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs. Northampton County Community College postponed its graduation. Speed restrictions were also in place on all of the major bridges crossing the Delaware River in and around Philadelphia. Philadelphia International Airport instituted a ground stop program. About 24 flights were cancelled on the day and delays averaged 40 minutes.||Precipitation started as snow on the evening of the 23rd throughout Eastern Pennsylvania from south to north between 8 p.m. EST and Midnight EST. In the Poconos and Lehigh Valley, the snow fell at its heaviest during the pre-dawn hours on the 24th and ended between 8 a.m. EST and 9 a.m. EST on the 24th. In the Philadelphia northern suburbs and Berks County, the snow changed to freezing rain (with some sleet) between 3 a.m. EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 24th. Precipitation ended as the freezing mixture between 7 a.m. EST and 8 a.m. EST on the 24th. In the immediate Philadelphia area including Chester County, the snow changed to rain between 2 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. EST on the 24th and remained rain until it ended around 8 a.m. EST on the 24th. ||Representative snowfall included 9.0 inches in Coolbaugh Township (Monroe County), 8.0 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County) and Forks Township (Northampton County), 7.9 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 7.3 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 7.0 inches in West Rockhill Township (Bucks County), Nazareth (Northampton County) and Albrightsville (Carbon County), 6.5 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 6.3 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in Shillington (Berks County), 5.5 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 5.1 inches in Reading (Berks County) and Lehighton (Carbon County), 4.5 inches in East Nantmeal Township (Chester County), 4.2 inches in Langhorne (Bucks County), 4.0 inches in Horsham (Montgomery County), 3.7 inches in Spring City (Chester County), 3.0 inches in Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 2.5 inches in Fort Washington (Montgomery County), 2.0 inches in Fox Chase (Philadelphia) and Penndel (Bucks County), 1.6 inches in Concord (Delaware County) and 1.0 inch at the Philadelphia International Airport. ||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system which moved along the northern Gulf of Mexico on the evening of the 22nd through the morning of the 23rd. It then started to track to the northeast and was in southeast Alabama on the afternoon of the 23rd and moved through southern Georgia overnight on the 23rd. A second low pressure system formed on its warm front that same night in South Carolina. This would become the primary low pressure system as it too tracked to the northeast. At 1 a.m. EST on the 24th, it was located near Norfolk, Virginia, 7 a.m. EST on the 24th over the Delmarva coastal waters as it started to intensify rapidly. At 1 p.m. EST on the 24th, the low pressure system was already southeast of Long Island, New York and would pass near Nantucket, Massachusetts later that afternoon.

A winter storm on the 26th, the day before Thanksgiving Day, dropped heavy snow over parts of Eastern Pennsylvania, caused power outages as well as additional traveling difficulties. Snowfall averaged 5 to 11 inches in the Poconos, 3 to 9 inches in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and 1 to 4 inches in the Philadelphia suburbs. Generally less than an inch of snow and sleet fell in Philadelphia. The snowfall was also elevation dependent, with the highest accumulations occurring over the higher terrain in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and Poconos. ||In the Poconos, precipitation started as snow around 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, fell heavy at times from the mid morning into the mid afternoon and ended close to Midnight EST on the 27th. In Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, precipitation started as rain around 6 a.m. EST on the 26th and changed to snow between 8 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST. The snow fell at its heaviest during the late morning and early afternoon and ended around 9 p.m. EST on the 26th. In the Philadelphia northwest suburbs, precipitation began as rain between 4 a.m. EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 26th. As precipitation intensity increased, the rain changed to snow between 9 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST that morning. The snow ended around 9 p.m. EST that evening. In the local Philadelphia area, rain began around 4 a.m. EST. As precipitation intensity increased, the rain mixed with or even changed to all sleet and snow during the midday hours before changing back to rain during the late afternoon. The rain ended between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on the 26th. ||The wintry precipitation caused many schools and community colleges to either cancel classes or dismiss students early. Some state offices closed early also. Several municipalities, especially in the Lehigh Valley declared snow emergencies. As snow started to fall, a surge of accidents occurred, especially in the Philadelphia suburbs. In Bucks County, in Newtown, an accident with a snow plow pinned a driver. About 170 flights were cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport, hundreds more were delayed. Thunder occurred during heavier precipitation bursts during the late morning on the 26th in the local Philadelphia area. ||Representative snowfall included 11.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 9.0 inches in Hereford Township (Berks County) and Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 8.5 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County) and Williams Township (Northampton County), 7.8 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County), 7.0 inches in Fleetwood (Berks County), 6.8 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 6.1 inches in New Tripoli (Lehigh County), 6.0 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County), 5.5 inches in Nazareth (Northampton County), 5.4 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 5.2 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 5.0 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 4.9 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 4.3 inches in Quakertown (Bucks County), 4.0 inches in Exton (Chester County), 3.8 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), 3.5 inches in Boyertown (Berks County) and Perkasie (Bucks County), 3.4 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 2.9 inches in Reading (Berks County), 2.8 inches in Graterford (Montgomery County), 2.5 inches in Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 2.1 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 2.0 inches in Spring City (Chester County), 1.6 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County) and 0.7 inches in the Somerton section of Philadelphia.||The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the Gulf of Mexico on a cold front on the 25th. The low pressure system moved north-northeast, crossed northern Florida during the late evening on the 25th, was located near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, off the Virginia coastal waters at 1 p.m. EST on the 26th, about 150 miles east of the central New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 26th and passed near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts during the late evening on the 26th.

Strong south winds during the early morning of the 24th tore down weak tree limbs in southeastern Pennsylvania and caused about 1,000 PECO Energy customers to lose power, mainly in Delaware and Philadelphia Counties. Peak wind gusts included 50 mph in Newtown Square (Delaware County), 49 mph at Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia) and 46 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport. The strong winds occurred as a warm front was lifting north of the Philadelphia region.

An intense low pressure that passed east of New Jersey on the 2nd combined with an approaching high pressure system to bring strong northwest winds into Eastern Pennsylvania mainly during the late morning and early afternoon of the 2nd. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph. The strong winds knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused scattered power outages. This was particularly true in southeast Pennsylvania where many trees still had leaves on them as October was unseasonably warm. In Delaware County, a shed was tossed in Media and two vehicles were damaged by a downed tree in Havertown. In Philadelphia, newspaper dispensers were knocked over. About 22,600 homes and businesses lost power, 20,000 in PECO Energy's service area in southeastern Pennsylvania. Most of the outages were in Delaware and Montgomery Counties. The majority of customers had service restored the evening of the 2nd. The strong winds also caused arrival delays of about 90 minutes at Philadelphia International Airport. ||Peak wind gusts included 50 mph in Bushkill Township (Northampton County), 49 mph in Lenhartsville (Berks County), 48 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 47 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 45 mph in West Chester (Chester County), 44 mph in Perkasie (Bucks County), 43 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 41 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. ||A developing low pressure over the Carolinas moved offshore on the morning of November 1st. As it passed east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the early evening of November 1st, the pressure gradient (difference) between it and a high pressure system in the Mississippi Valley started to increase and winds became stronger. This pressure difference over Eastern Pennsylvania maximized during the late morning of the 2nd. At 7 a.m. EST on November 2nd, the low pressure system was well east of the New Jersey coast and as it reached the coastal waters east of Massachusetts that afternoon, strong winds ceased across Eastern Pennsylvania.

A pair of lines of strong to severe thunderstorms triggered by another lee side trof moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. This line not only caused wind, hail and lightning damage around the local Philadelphia area, but also caused flash flooding. PECO Energy reported 17,600 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania. About 800 customers were still without power the next day. Philadelphia International Airport experienced one hour flight delays during the height of the thunderstorms.

A hot and humid air mass and a lee side trough helped trigger a powerful squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms that moved through all of Eastern Pennsylvania during the evening of the 8th. About 400,000 homes and businesses lost power in central and eastern Pennsylvania. PECO Energy reported 260,000 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania as this line moved through. About 100,000 customers were without power on the morning of the 9th and 40,000 on the afternoon of the 9th. Chester County had about half of the remaining outages. It took until the afternoon of the 11th to have power fully restored. Restoration crews from a dozen states assisted. Metropolitan Edison reported about 61,000 of its Pennsylvania customers lost power and Pennsylvania Power and Light reported about 75,000 of its Pennsylvania Customers (28,000 on the morning of the 9th) also lost power. Power was restored to all of their customers by the night of the 10th. In addition, about 7,000 homes and businesses lost power in Berks County. Preceding this line, an isolated severe thunderstorm affected Bucks County during the afternoon of the 8th.||The downed trees and power lines also caused commuting problems. Numerous roads were blocked by fallen trees. Amtrak suspended its Keystone Line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg because of downed trees. In southeast Pennsylvania, SEPTA Regional Commuter Rail Service had to suspend service along Paoli-Thorndale, Fox Chase, Airport and Chestnut Hill Lines because of tree and line problems. Some SEPTA Trolly service was also suspended in Delaware County.

For the second day in a row, an approaching cold front triggered a cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms across Eastern Pennsylvania mainly during the early evening of the 3rd. PECO Energy reported about 150,000 of its customers lost power in southeast Pennsylvania. Hardest hit was Chester County with 59,000 outages. Approximately 35,000 homes and businesses were still without power at Noon EDT on the 4th. All power was restored by the 6th. Many planned firework events on the 3rd were postponed.

A low pressure system that developed along a frontal boundary helped produce clusters of showers and some strong to locally severe thunderstorms that moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the early morning of the 19th. Several homes were also struck by lightning. Approximately 4,500 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occurred in the Mount Holly warning and forecast area as the thunderstorms moved through. Bucks County suffered the most outages in the area from the combined lightning and wind from the thunderstorms. About 30,000 homes and businesses lost power in the county. This ended the brief hot spell across the region.

A lee side trof combined with an unseasonably warm air mass to develop a cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms in Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon of the 27th. While the thunderstorms started to weaken as they approached Philadelphia and the Delaware River, their gust fronts still produced damaging winds. About 20,000 homes and businesses lost power, with the greatest impact in Montgomery County.

Strong northwest winds followed a strong cold frontal passage in Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon of the 15th and persisted into the night over the Poconos. Peak wind gusts averaged around 40 mph, but reached closer to 50 mph in the Poconos and around the immediate Philadelphia area. The strong winds, coupled with the precipitation, knocked down some weak tree limbs and wires causing isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 50 mph in Port Richmond (Philadelphia County), 49 mph at Newtown Square (Delaware County) and 48 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). The strong gusty winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between the cold front and the approaching high pressure system over the lower Ohio Valley. When the high pressure system reached the upper Ohio Valley on the morning of the 16th, the strong winds ceased in all areas.

The strong pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying strong low pressure system and a high pressure system in the Ohio Valley caused strong northwest winds to occur across Pennsylvania from the evening of the 12th following a cold frontal passage through the daytime hours on the 13th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and the highest winds occurred overnight on the 12th. The prolonged period of strong winds caused weak tree limbs, trees and power lines to be knocked down and caused widely scattered power outages. Downed trees and/or power lines blocked roadways in Delaware (Concordville and Lansdowne), Chester (Willistown), Montgomery (Ambler), Lehigh (Allentown) and Philadelphia Counties. ||Peak wind gusts included 56 mph in Newtown (Delaware County), 54 mph in Port Richmond (Philadelphia), 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), Coatesville (Chester County) and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 49 mph in Reading and Lenhartsville (Berks County) and Strickersville and Kelton (Chester County), 48 mph at the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia International Airports, 45 mph in Perkasie and Doylestown (Bucks County) and 44 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). ||The low pressure system responsible for the strong winds emerged from the Rockies on the evening of the 10th. It reached central Missouri on the evening of the 11th and western Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 12th. It already was an intense 984 millibar low pressure system. The northeast moving 982 millibar low pressure system reached central New Jersey at 8 p.m. EDT on the 12th as its cold front just about cleared the Eastern Shore. The 981 millibar low pressure system was near Boston, Massachusetts at 11 p.m. EDT on the 12th and reached Nova Scotia as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 5 a.m. EDT on the 13th. It continued to move northeast through the Canadian Maritimes during the day on the 13th and very slowly weakened. By evening on the 13th, the high pressure system was close enough to the Eastern Shore that the pressure gradient (difference) weakened and the strong winds stopped.

A major winter storm affected all of Eastern Pennsylvania with heavy snow and sleet and even some freezing rain. The heaviest snow of the season occurred during this storm as 12 to 20 inches of snow fell across most of Eastern Pennsylvania. Ice accumulations were generally less than one tenth of an inch. The heavy snow also caused structural failures even after it ended and was a contributing factor to a major multi-vehicule accident in the Philadelphia suburbs on the morning of the 14th. During this event, 14 counties and 154 municipalities have declared Disaster Declaration Emergencies. A state of emergency remained in effect for Pennsylvania. ||Snow began in Eastern Pennsylvania and spread from the south to the north between 9 p.m. EST and Midnight EST on the 12th. Two bands of heavy snow, in which snowfall rates averaged two to four inches per hour, moved through the state on the 13th. The first one mainly affected the local Philadelphia area between 5 a.m. EST and 7 a.m. EST. The second one moved north through the entire eastern half of Pennsylvania between 730 a.m. EST and 2 p.m. EST on the 13th. After the snow bands moved through, precipitation changed to freezing rain and then rain in the immediate Philadelphia area during the late morning of the 13th, the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the northwest Philadelphia suburbs around midday on the 13th and during the afternoon of the 13th in the Poconos. Some pockets of freezing rain and sleet persisted in the higher terrain of the Poconos. Scattered thunderstorms moved through during the late afternoon and early evening on the 13th, some with small hail. Then as the low pressure system pulled offshore, precipitation changed back to snow during the evening on the 13th. Some heavy snow occurred again in the Philadelphia western suburbs, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. The last of the snow exited eastern Pennsylvania from west to east between Midnight EST and 4 a.m. EST on the 14th. The snow exited lower Bucks County last.||Schools, malls, businesses, government, state and local offices as well as municipal courts never opened on the 13th. Many schools were also closed on the 14th. There was a trailer ban on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and reduced speeds on all major roadways including the Delaware River crossings. Commuter bus service from the Lehigh Valley to New York City was cancelled. SEPTA Regional Commuter Services detoured bus and trolley routes in and around Philadelphia and suspended bus service for a while during the day on the 13th. Regional Rail lines ran with 60 minute delays. SEPTA then halted all rail and bus service overnight. Over 400 flights were cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport and all flights were cancelled at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Because the heavy snow started early in the morning, the number of accidents and calls for assistance in the Philadelphia area was less than usual. In the Lehigh Valley, there were more disabled vehicles on side roads because of the later arrival of the heavy snow bands. There were also slip and fall accidents and at least one person who lost fingers clearing a snow thrower. The snow did not cling to tree limbs as well and there were only about 6,000 homes and businesses that lost power. The greatest numbers were in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. One of the hardest hit businesses were florists as the heavy snow wreaked havoc (tens of thousands delayed) on the flower deliveries for Valentine's Day. After the snow ended, on the morning of the 14th, 30 people were injured and about 100 vehicles were damaged in a chain reaction multi-vehicle (including several tractor-trailers) accident on the Eastbound Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bucks County. The combination of an icy roadway, sun glare and excessive speed helped cause the accident. The Turnpike was closed for about 8 hours. The latest event strained municipal budgets further and increased the shortage of salt supplies in the region.| |The weight of the heavy snow started causing structural collapses. In Lehigh County, a pavilion collapsed at a Nissan dealership in South Heidelberg Township. Forty-one vehicles were damaged. In Montgomery County, an abandoned building collapsed on Washington Lane in Jenkintown Borough. A barn collapsed on Kulp Road in Towamencin Township. Several animals were killed or injured. In Berks County, another barn collapsed on Bieber Lane in Amity Township. Two horses were trapped in the barn but were rescued by responding fire departments. The barn sustained significant damage to the first floor due to the complete second story collapse. An emergency responder cut the tip of his finger during the rescue operations. Also in Amity Township, another barn collapsed on Weavertown Road. In Monroe County, a barn collapsed in Barrett Township. Several horses were trapped but rescued.||Representative snowfall included 20.2 inches in West Caln Township (Chester County), 19.2 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 18.5 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County), 17.5 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 17.4 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 17.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 16.0 inches in Blakeslee (Monroe County) and Coaldale (Carbon County), 15.5 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County), 15.2 inches in Slatington (Lehigh County), 15.0 inches in Concord Township (Delaware County), West Chester (Chester County) and Fleetwood (Berks County), 14.5 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County) and Glenmoore (Chester County), 14.0 inches in Kidder Township (Carbon County), 12.8 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 12.5 inches in Lansdowne (Delaware County) and Royersford (Montgomery County), 12.3 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 12.2 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), 12.0 inches in Wernersville (Berks County), 11.9 inches in Nottingham (Chester County), 11.5 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport at 10.0 inches in Langhorne (Bucks County). ||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 11th and moved east on the 12th. This was preceded by an arctic high pressure system that passed over the Middle Atlantic States that same day and left plenty of initial cold, dry air in place. A new low pressure system formed east of Florida on the 12th and would become the primary low pressure system for the event. It moved northeast and was near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST on the 12th. From there, it continued northnortheast and passed near Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 13th. Once it reached the Atlantic Ocean again, it started to intensify rapidly and reached the Delmarva coastal waters early in the afternoon on the 13th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 13th, the low pressure system was off the New Jersey coast and deepened to 986 millibars (11 millibar drop in 12 hours). From there the low pressure system moved northeast and intensified even more rapidly as it passed just east of Long Island, New York and passed near Boston, Massachusetts as a 976 millibar low pressure system at 4 a.m. EST on the 14th. This low pressure system deepened to 968 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 14th while over Maine before finally leveling off. The close pass to the New Jersey coast permitted this low pressure system to bring in above freezing (milder) air into Eastern Pennsylvania, if not at the surface, at least aloft and caused a period of non-snow to occur before ending as snow again as the low pressure system departed.

A major winter storm brought heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain to the Poconos, a heavy wintry mixture to the Lehigh Valley and Berks County and a crippling ice storm to Philadelphia and in particular its western suburbs. Snowfall reached as high as ten inches in the Poconos and ice accumulations were as high as half an inch. The combination of new ice and snow still on the trees from the just concluded winter storm caused a record breaking 715,000 customer power outages in the PECO Energy service area in and around Philadelphia (849.000 throughout Pennsylvania). This was the worst power outage event ever for the winter season, represented about 45 percent of all its customers and the second worst behind Sandy for the utility. It took about one week to have power fully restored. The weight of the snow, then sleet and freezing rain on limbs all collaborated to cause more tree damage then would have occurred if trees were bare at the start of this event. Governor Tom Corbett declared a State of Emergency. President Barack Obama also declared a state of emergency in Pennsylvania. Many counties and municipalities also declared snow emergencies or states of emergency. Government offices, schools and businesses were closed. Some schools as well as universities, such as Villanova and West Chester, remained closed for the rest of the week. More than a dozen hospitals in the Philadelphia area ran on generators. Red Cross shelters and warming centers were opened. Some boil water advisories were also in effect because water treatment plants lost power.||In Philadelphia and the nearby suburbs, precipitation started as sleet (and a bit of snow) during the late evening on the 4th. Precipitation changed over to freezing rain within a couple of hours of the start. Precipitation then changed to plain rain from south to north between 6 a.m. EST and 9 a.m. EST on the 5th. The rain ended that afternoon. In Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, precipitation started as snow right around Midnight EST on the 5th. The snow fell heavy at times before sunrise in the Poconos. In the Lehigh Valley and Berks County, precipitation changed to sleet between 1 a.m. EST and 2 a.m. EST on the 5th and to freezing rain between 2 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. EST on the 5th. Precipitation changed to plain rain between 8 a.m. EST and 11 a.m. EST that morning and ended during that afternoon. In the Poconos, precipitation changed to sleet around 7 a.m. EST on the 5th, then freezing rain around 9 a.m. EST that morning. Some valley locations changed to plain rain, but over the higher terrain freezing rain persisted until precipitation ended during the middle of the afternoon. A very light wintry mix then occurred in the Poconos during the early evening of the 5th. | |The greatest impact from the winter and ice storm occurred in the Philadelphia suburbs as power was lost for up to one week. Repair crews from throughout North America assisted. About 5,100 workers were involved in the restoration process. Sections of the Schuylkill Expressway and U.S. Routes 202 and 322 were closed because of downed trees. Downed trees also littered the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension and U.S. Routes 30 and 1. There were posted speed reductions on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and an empty tractor-trailer ban. Commuter rail and bus service was also affected. Amtrak rail service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg was suspended until the 8th. SEPTA suspended four regional rail lines until the 6th. Others ran with delays of at least 30 minutes. ||In Chester County, whole municipalities lost power as did 87 percent of the county overall. There were about 400 tree blocked roadways in the county. Hardest hit municipalities included Highland, Charlestown, East Nantmeal, Parkesburg and West Vincent. West Chester University was used as a shelter. About 265 Verizon telephone customers lost service in West Fallowfield Township. In Montgomery County, there were 340 calls for electrical fires, 1,001 road obstructions, 153 crashes, and more than 4,000 calls for police assistance. Fifty major roadways were blocked by fallen trees. In Philadelphia, there were 139 cancelled flights at the Philadelphia International Airport on the 5th. A fallen tree limb injured one man. In Bucks County, over 90 percent of Doylestown, New Hope and Yardley lost power. Eighty state maintained highways were blocked by fallen trees. Power outages in Delaware County were the worst along its border with Chester County. Throughout the Philadelphia area, dozens of people suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because of improper ventilation of generators. ||In the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, power outages were less as more precipitation fell as snow and sleet. The total number of customers without power were around 1,000. In Lynn Township (Lehigh County), a collision between a pick-up truck and van resulted in the death of a 52-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman and one additional injury. In Northampton County, Pennsylvania State Route 33 Northbound was closed near Freemansburg Avenue in Bethlehem Township due to a crash that involved a tractor trailer and a bus.||The number of PECO Energy customer outages peaked at 715,000 on the 5th. It dropped to 499,000 on the morning of the 6th, 440,000 on the evening of the 6th, 275,000 on the afternoon of the 7th, 182,000 on the evening of the 7th, 160,000 on the morning of the 8th, 82,000 on the evening of the 8th, 23,000 on the afternoon of the 9th and 5,600 on the 10th. This ice storm also made it the worst winter for outages in the utility's history: 1,097,900 outages. The previous winter season record occurred in 1993-1994 with 1,011,377 outages. ||Representative ice accumulations included 0.50 inches in West Chester (Chester County) and Wayne (Delaware County), 0.40 inches in Northeast Philadelphia, Allentown (Lehigh County), Blandon (Berks County) and Royersford (Montgomery County), 0.30 inches in Upper Darby (Delaware County), Bushkill Township (Northampton County) and Eaglesville (Montgomery County), 0.25 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and Gilbertsville (Montgomery County) and 0.20 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Forks Township (Northampton County). ||Representative snowfall and sleet accumulations included 10.0 inches in Lake Harmony (Carbon County), 9.5 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 9.0 inches in Tobyhanna and Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 7.0 inches in Kidder Township (Carbon County) and Bushkill Township (Northampton County), 6.5 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 6.2 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 4.0 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County) and Forks Township (Northampton County), 3.7 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 3.1 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 3.0 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 2.4 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2.0 inches in Kutztown (Berks County), 1.2 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County) and 0.8 inches in Chester Springs (Chester County). ||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the morning of the 4th and a surface high pressure system that passed over the region and with the assistance of the snow cover locked in cold air near the surface. This low pressure system moved northeast and reached Mississippi during the early evening of the 4th and the Tennessee River Valley around Midnight EST on the 5th. About the same time, a secondary low pressure system was forming on the primary low's warm front off the North Carolina coast. Both low pressure systems in tandem proceeded to move northeast and at 7 a.m. EST on the 5th, the primary low pressure system was over southeast Ohio with the secondary low pressure system off the Delaware coast. As is typically the case, the primary low pressure system weakened and reached western Pennsylvania during the early afternoon on the 5th while the stronger secondary low pressure system was just off of Long Beach Island on the New Jersey coast. This secondary low pressure system intensified as it rapidly moved northeast and was southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 4 p.m. EST on the 5th. What was left of the primary low pressure system trundled across Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey during the late afternoon and early evening of the 5th.

Snow fell across Eastern Pennsylvania mainly from the early morning through the late afternoon on the 3rd. Snowfall varied greatly across the area but in general a widespread 6.0 inches of snow was recorded, with the greatest amounts falling in the Lehigh and Delaware Valleys. The heavy, wet snow caused power outages and laid the foundation for the ice storm which followed in two days in the Philadelphia area. ||The snow caused slippery traveling conditions on untreated and less traveled roadways. In Berks County and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, precipitation started as rain around Midnight EST on the 3rd and changed over to snow between 3 a.m. EST and 7 a.m. EST that morning. Precipitation fell as snow throughout the event in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley and reached the area between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST on the 3rd. The heaviest snow fell during the daytime hours of the morning and ended in all areas between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. EST that day.||Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. Approximately 60,000 PECO Energy customers lost power in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Power was restored to all by the 4th. Many schools were closed and other events were postponed or cancelled. Speed reductions were in place on all of the major interstates. The snow caused 400 flight cancellations at the Philadelphia International Airport and on average four hour flight delays. In the Lehigh Valley, LANTA suspended all commuter bus service. Tractor-trailers became stuck on hills. Airport Road was closed due a truck accident. The heavy snow caused awning collapses in Wilson Borough. The heavy snow caused suspension of trash and recycling collections and caused salt supplies to run low. ||Representative snowfall amounts included 9.3 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown (Lehigh County), 9.2 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 9.0 inches in Lower Heidelberg Township (Berks County) and Hilltown Township (Bucks County), 8.7 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 8.5 inches in East Coventry Township (Chester County), Jenkintown (Montgomery County) and New Tripoli (Lehigh County), 8.2 inches in Wernersville (Berks County) and Spring City (Chester County), 7.8 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 7.3 inches in Bowmanstown (Carbon County), 7.0 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 6.4 inches in Chapman (Carbon County), 6.2 inches in Franklinville (Philadelphia County), 5.2 inches in Somerton (Philadelphia County), 4.5 inches in Drexel Hill and Norwood (both Delaware County), 3.8 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County) and 3.5 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.||The heavy snow was caused by a low pressure system that formed on a cold front in eastern Texas on the morning of the 2nd. The low moved northeast and reach Mississippi on the evening of the 2nd, western North Carolina on the morning of the 3rd, the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon on the 3rd and then moved quickly offshore. As the precipitation intensity increased and colder air moved into the state, the rain changed to snow.

One of the harshest arctic outbreaks in years occurred in Eastern Pennsylvania on the 7th. Record calendar day low temperatures occurred and combined with strong northwest winds produced wind chill factors as low as around 30 degrees below zero in the Poconos and around 20 degrees below zero elsewhere. High temperatures struggled to get above zero in the Poconos and reach double digit figures elsewhere. The excessive cold caused many schools and universities to either cancel classes or have delayed openings.||The severe cold led to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a Proclamation of Propane and Heating Oil Emergency��� to waive federal and state motor carrier regulations related to hours of service for drivers of commercial motor vehicles transporting propane gas and heating oil in Pennsylvania. AAA Mid-Atlantic reported an 81 percent increase in service calls, mainly for dead batteries. Amtrak reported extensive delays in its rail service. The cold weather also affected SEPTA Regional Rail service in the Philadelphia area as there were delays on the Paoli/Thorndale line. The cold weather strained power supplies. PJM Interconnection, the agency that oversees the electric grid supplying the region, said electricity suppliers were struggling to keep up with surging demand as the cold forced some power plants to shut. An all-time winter record usage was recorded at 8 a.m. EST on the 7th, 138,600 megawatts surpassing the previous record from 2007. Utilities asked their customers where possible to switch to diesel or fuel oil. Three thousand homeless people in Philadelphia were sheltered.| |The low temperature of 4 degrees above zero at the Philadelphia International Airport was the coldest of the winter and the coldest air temperature day since January 24, 2005 when the low reached 3 degrees above zero. The low temperature of zero at Reading (Berks County) was the coldest of the winter season and matched the low last set on January 24, 2011. The low temperatures of 8 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and one degree below zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport were higher than the morning of January 4th. ||Other actual low temperatures included 3 degrees below zero in Lehighton (Carbon County) and Fleetwood (Berks County), 2 degrees below zero in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), Glenmoore (Chester County) and Macungie (Lehigh County), 1 degree below zero in Easton (Northampton County), zero in West Chester (Chester County) and Perkasie (Bucks County), 1 degree above zero in Newtown Square (Delaware County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County), 2 degrees above zero in Horsham (Montgomery County) and 3 degrees above zero in Langhorne (Bucks County). ||Lowest hourly wind chill factors included (they all occurred during the morning of the 7th) 32 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 23 degrees below zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 22 degrees below zero in Doylestown (Bucks County) 21 degrees below zero in Reading (Berks County) and Coatesville (Chester County) and 18 degrees below zero at the Philadelphia International Airport.

A series of low pressure systems combined with a high pressure system passing across nearby Canada to bring a winter storm of snow, sleet and freezing rain from the morning into the overnight on the 14th. Snowfall averaged 6 to 12 inches in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley, 3 to 6 inches in Berks County and the far western and northwestern Philadelphia suburbs and 1 to 4 inches in the local Philadelphia area. Ice accumulations averaged one-quarter to one-third of an inch from Berks County and the Lehigh Valley into the Philadelphia northwest suburbs and around one tenth of an inch in the local Philadelphia area and the Poconos. The combination caused extremely difficult traveling conditions as well as isolated power outages. It also was the second consecutive weekend that a winter storm affected Eastern Pennsylvania. Around Philadelphia several SEPTA commuter bus routes were suspended because of icy roads. ||Precipitation types varied location by location with the most snow in the Poconos and the least around Philadelphia. In the Poconos, snow began between 9 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST on the 14th and fell heavy at times during the late afternoon and evening. The snow changed to sleet late that evening and then to freezing rain before it ended overnight. In Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the far northwest Philadelphia suburbs, snow began during the late morning on the 14th and fell moderately at times during the mid to late afternoon. The snow changed to sleet and then freezing rain during the middle of the evening. Freezing rain then continued until the precipitation ended between 1 a.m. EST and 3 a.m. EST on the 15th. In Philadelphia and the nearby suburbs, the snow began during the afternoon of the 14th and changed over briefly to sleet and then to freezing rain around 6 p.m. EST. The freezing rain then changed to rain during the mid to late evening and continued until precipitation ended overnight.||Representative snowfall included 12.0 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 10.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 9.0 inches in Bangor (Northampton County), 8.0 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 7.0 inches in Nazareth and Forks Township (Northampton County), 6.8 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 6.5 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 6.3 inches in Palm (Montgomery County), 6.1 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 6.0 inches in Marshalls Creek (Monroe County), 5.6 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 5.5 inches in Wyomissing (Berks County), 4.5 inches in Hamburg (Berks County) and Sellersville (Bucks County), 4.2 inches in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 4.0 inches in Elverson (Chester County), 3.5 inches in Warwick (Chester County), 3.4 inches in Reading (Berks County), 3.2 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 3.0 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 2.8 inches in Hilltown Township (Bucks County), 2.6 inches in Wayne (Delaware County) and West Norriton (Montgomery County), 1.0 inch in Brookhaven (Delaware County) and Center City Philadelphia and 0.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.||Ice accumulations included four tenths of an inch in Allentown (Lehigh County), Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), three tenths of an inch in Reading (Berks County), one-quarter of an inch in Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), Bethlehem (Northampton County), two-tenths of an inch in East Coventry (Chester County) and Skippack (Montgomery County) and one-tenth of an inch in Brookhaven (Delaware County).||The winter storm was caused by a series of low pressure systems, one emerging from the central Rockies and the second forming in the western Gulf of Mexico on the evening of the 13th. They reached Missouri and Mississippi respectively on the morning of the 14th. Meanwhile, a high pressure system with a fresh supply of cold air reached southern Quebec Province, Canada. While the southern low pressure system weakened, the northern one reached the central Ohio Valley at 4 p.m. EST on the 14th as the center of the high pressure system started to cross the Saint Lawrence River Valley and slowly eased east during the evening and overnight. A new low pressure system was starting to form on the warm frontal boundary in North Carolina. This latter low pressure system started to intensify as the Ohio Valley low pressure system started to weaken. At 10 p.m. EST on the 14th, the former low pressure system reached the lower Chesapeake Bay. This low became the main low pressure system and passed just east of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 1 a.m. EST on the 15th and eastern Long Island at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th. The sequence of secondary formation helped to lock in colder air near the surface throughout most of Eastern Pennsylvania.

A strong northwest flow following a cold frontal passage produced wind gusts as high as around 45 mph in Eastern Pennsylvania into the afternoon on the 24th. The strong winds knocked down weak trees limbs and power lines and also hampered firefighter efforts extinguishing wildfires. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph in Newtown Square (Delaware County), 44 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 43 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County).

A convective complex of showers and strong to severe thunderstorms trailing a northward advancing warm front caused wind damage and flash flooding in southeastern Pennsylvania the morning of the 13th. About 6,000 PECO Energy homes and businesses lost power, mainly in Chester and Delaware Counties. The power was restored by the end of the day.

Widely scattered pulse type strong to severe thunderstorms affected the local Philadelphia area during the late afternoon of the 25th. PECO Energy reported about 5,000 homes and businesses lost power. Then later at night, a weakening line of strong to severe thunderstorms caused wind damage west of Philadelphia.

A nor'easter that moved east of the state on the 25th dropped 2 to 5 inches of snow in the Philadelphia western suburbs and Berks County and 1 to 3 inches of snow elsewhere across Eastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia. Most of the snow fell during the day and had difficulty accumulating when the intensity decreased. Nevertheless, the heaviest snow fell throughout the morning commute in the southeast part of the state and caused slushy roadways and traffic accidents. In Chester County, multiple accidents were reported along U.S. Route 202. In Delaware County, a tractor-trailer accident on Interstate 95 snarled the morning commute. In addition, a few school districts cancelled classes or had early dismissals and isolated power outages also occurred in the Philadelphia suburbs. West Chester University (Chester County) cancelled evening classes. The snow canceled some flights and caused delays exceeding one hour at the Philadelphia International Airport. The snow started between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. EDT on the 25th and fell at its heaviest nearly instantly in the southeast part of the state and through the morning commute. The snow was generally lighter in intensity in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. While snow continued during the late morning into the afternoon, the intensity was less and it did not accumulate as efficiently. As precipitation intensity lessened even more, the snow changed to light rain during the late afternoon from the Lehigh Valley southward. Precipitation did not change to rain in the Poconos. All of the precipitation ended during the evening of the 25th. ||Representative snowfall included 4.5 inches in Glenmoore and East Nantmeal (Chester County), 4.0 inches in Chester Springs (Chester County), 3.9 inches in Mohnton (Berks County) and Nottingham (Chester County), 3.8 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 3.5 inches in Glen Mills (Delaware County), 3.3 inches in Kennett Square (Chester County), 3.2 inches in Wayne (Delaware County) and Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 3.1 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 3.0 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County) and Exton (Chester County), 2.8 inches in Reading (Berks County), Brookhaven (Delaware County), Limerick (Montgomery County) and Spring City (Chester County), 2.5 inches in Summit Hill (Carbon County), Penndel (Bucks County) and Bernville (Berks County), 2.3 inches in Souderton (Montgomery County), 2.0 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County), Forks Township (Northampton County), Willow Grove (Montgomery County), Easton (Northampton County) and Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 1.8 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 1.6 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 1.5 inches in West Grove (Chester County) and Harleysville (Montgomery County), 1.4 inches in Quakertown (Bucks County), 1.2 inches in Rockledge (Philadelphia County), 1.1 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 1.0 inch in Bowmanstown (Carbon County), Palmerton (Carbon County) and Bethlehem (Northampton County) and 0.8 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.| |The low pressure system responsible for the late season snow moved from Alabama on the morning of the 24th northeast and passed just east of Norfolk, Virginia at 8 a.m. EDT on the 25th. It proceeded to move northeast and by 8 p.m. EDT on the 25th it was about 175 miles east of the New Jersey coast. The combination of the relatively offshore storm track coupled with most of the precipitation falling during the day and in late March (relatively strong indirect sunlight) prevented heavier snow from occurring or accumulating.

An intense nor'easter brought strong northeast winds to southeastern Pennsylvania on the 6th. Peak wind gusts reached 45 to 50 mph and downed weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused scattered power outages. A few thousand home and businesses lost power. The heavy rain and wind also caused flight delays and cancellations at the Philadelphia International Airport. There were 137 cancelled flights on the 6th and arrival flight delays reached three hours. There was also an empty trailer ban on the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry Bridges in and near Philadelphia. ||Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Doylestown (Bucks County), 47 mph in Wayne (Delaware County), 44 mph in West Chester (Chester County) and 40 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). ||The nor'easter low pressure system emerged from the southern Rockies on the 4th and moved into the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 5th, passed across the southern Appalachians during the evening of the 5th and reached northeastern North Carolina on the morning of the 6th. From there it slowly moved northeast and was off the Delmarva Peninsula on the afternoon of the 6th. It then drifted slowly offshore to the east that evening and that motion continued on the 7th and 8th. The low pressure system was not that intense overall (never deepened to less than 985 millibars near the coast), but a strong high pressure system that was located over southeastern Canada helped intensify the surface pressure gradient (difference) throughout this event.

An area of low pressure developed across the northern plains on Thursday February 7th, tracking eastward. Meanwhile, another area of low pressure developed along the coast of North Carolina, tracking northeast. Both lows approached the area on Friday February 8th with the coastal low intensifying as it moved toward the northeast. The two lows interacted with one another with the coastal low eventually absorbing the inland low late Friday. The system moved off toward New England on Friday night, moving into the Canadian Maritimes by Saturday afternoon.||Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph were recorded across the state with scattered power outages reported. A peak wind speed of 52 mph was recorded at the Mount Pocono Airport (Monroe County).||Precipitation started to spread across the area during the morning hours on Friday February 8th. Areas across the Lehigh Valley and points north started as all snow and remained snow through the entire event. Some areas started as a mix of snow and rain before changing over to all rain during the daytime hours. A changeover to all snow occurred during the evening. Across eastern Pennsylvania, amounts ranged from an inch or less across parts of Chester County and up to 9 inches in the Southern Poconos. Roads became snow covered and slushy, making travel hazardous. Some schools closed early or remained closed on Friday in advance of the storms arrival. Scattered power outages were also reported. While conditions were not as bad through the Philadelphia metro area, there were at least a hundred flights at Philadelphia International Airport that were cancelled due to the storm.||Representative snowfall included 9.0 inches in Summit Hill (Carbon County), 8.5 inches in Weatherly (Carbon County), 8.0 inches in Pocono Lake (Monroe County), 7.0 inches in Blakeslee and Emerald Lakes (Monroe County) and Portland (Northampton County), 6.8 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County) and Langhorne (Bucks County), 6.3 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 5.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown (Lehigh County), 5.2 inches in Slatington (Lehigh County), 5.0 inches in Fleetwood (Berks County), 4.7 inches in Somerton (Philadelphia County), 3.8 inches in Alburtis (Berks County), 3.4 inches in Blue Bell (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), Northeast Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) and Telford (Montgomery County), 1.5 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 1.4 inches in Devault (Chester County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County) and 1.3 inches in Chester Springs (Chester County).

Strong to high winds occurred across Eastern Pennsylvania through the morning into the afternoon on the 31st. Peak wind gusts reached between 45 mph and 60 mph and downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused scattered outages. All of the high winds and most of the highest wind gusts occurred in the south to southwest flow preceding a cold frontal passage during the early morning on the 31st. However, strong wind gusts near 50 mph continued in the westerly flow following the cold frontal passage during the morning and into the afternoon on the 31st. The cold front moved through the area between 4 a.m. EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 31st. In Bucks County, trees and or poles were knocked down in Bedminster, Buckingham, Hilltown, Richland and West Rockhill Townships. In Montgomery County, two roadways were closed in Cheltenham Township because of an uprooted tree. There was also a downed tree along Sunnyside Avenue in Lower Providence Township. ||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in West Chester (Chester County), 57 mph in Newtown Square (Delaware County), 54 mph in Coatesville (Chester County), 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Overbrook (Philadelphia County), 52 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 51 mph in Bossardsville (Monroe County), 50 mph in Springfield Township (Montgomery County), 49 mph in Reading (Berks County), Perkasie (Bucks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 48 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County) and Metztown (Carbon County) and 45 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County).| |The strong to high winds were caused by a land bombing low pressure system that intensified rapidly as it moved through the Great Lakes on January 30th and into Quebec Province on January 31st. The central pressure of the low pressure system over Illinois deepened from 992 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 30th to 968 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 31st when it was in Quebec Province. The low pressure system continued to deepen and the following morning, the pressure was 944 millibars as it was crossing the Labrador Sea (The lowest analyzed pressure with this system was 940 millibars.). The rapid deepening of the surface low intensified the southerly flow preceding its cold front and then the pressure gradient (difference) between the low pressure system and a high pressure system entering the Northern Plains continued strong winds into the afternoon of the 31st. The low pressure system moved far enough away from Pennsylvania for the strong winds to cease later that day.

Post Tropical Storm Sandy caused an initial estimate of $20 million dollars in damage in Pennsylvania and directly or indirectly caused 15 deaths across the state. Most of the damage in the eastern part of the state was wind related as wind gusts reached as high as 81 mph. Some moderate creek flooding occurred in the southeast part of the state and record tidal flooding occurred along the tidal Delaware River. Hundreds of roads were closed because of downed trees and major transportation in and out of the region was halted for two days and only slowly returned starting on the 31st. PECO Energy which serves customers in southeastern Pennsylvania, broke their all-time outage record of 850,000 customers without power. At any one time, the greatest number of statewide outages was approximately 1.2 million utility customers on the 30th. In the Mount Holly warning and forecast area of Eastern Pennsylvania, Sandy was responsible for eleven deaths, one that was considered directly caused by the system: a Berks County man was killed by a falling tree. Hardest hit with wind damage were Lehigh and Montgomery Counties. Chester and Delaware Counties were most affected by creek flooding.||Governor Tom Corbett declared a state of disaster emergency for Pennsylvania as did Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia. President Barack Obama also declared a disaster emergency. Thirty-three counties in the state issued emergency declarations. Most schools and businesses were closed on the 29th and 30th. The American Red Cross opened 48 shelters in the state that could accommodate 31,000 people. In addition two super shelters were opened in West Chester and East Stroudsburg to assist evacuees from New Jersey. About half of the drinking and wastewater facilities lost power in the state. In all, about twenty-five sewage treatment plants were either bypassing or only on partial operations. Sixty-two water treatment facilities were affected and fifty-eight boil water advisories were issued.||In anticipation of Sandy���s arrival, SEPTA shut down all commuter service in and around Philadelphia at 1230 a.m. EDT on the 29th. AMTRAK service along the northeast corridor was also shut down at 700 p.m. EDT on the 29th. All flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled on the 29th. In and around Philadelphia, the Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, Walt Whitman, and Commodore Barry bridges were closed the evening on the 29th. They were re-opened on the 30th. Most of the major interstates leading into and around Philadelphia were also closed that evening: Interstates 95, 76, 476 and 676 as well as United States Route 1. Limited SEPTA resumed service at 12 p.m. EDT on the 30th. AMTRAK service along the northeast corridor was expected to resume on the 31st. Philadelphia International Airport has resumed limited flights on the afternoon of the 30th. There were 425 roadways that were closed statewide due to the combination of downed trees, downed utilities and flooding. There were 21 precautionary bridge closures awaiting inspection. The number of closed roadways dropped to 245 on November 1st, 141 on November 3rd, and 38 (mainly because of downed utilities) on November 5th. Trash and recycling schedules were delayed. Area hotels were booked solid as people without heat or that had home damage seeked shelter. There were also long gas lines because of problems with gas supplies in New York and New Jersey. Motorists were given two week extensions for their vehicle registrations and inspections that were due by the end of October. | |PECO Energy reported a record breaking 850,000 of its customers lost power. Pennsylvania Power and Light reported 370,000 of its customers lost power and Metropolitan Edison reported 246,000 of its customers. Statewide about 520,000 utility customers were still without power on November 1st. Power was fully restored to Pennsylvania Power and Light customers on November 4th, Metropolitan Edison the week of November 4th and PECO Energy on November 6th. Power outages forced Carbon and Monroe Counties 911 operations to default to back-up and emergency powers. The high winds damaged four communication sites in Berks County. They were operating on reduced functionality but still maintained coverage throughout the county. ||In Berks County, a tree fell onto the porch of a home in Pike Township, and killed a 62 year-old man. Other deaths attributed to Sandy included: in Montgomery County, a 90-year-old female was found deceased in her apartment after being overcome by fumes from her generator in the garage below her living room, in Carbon County, a 66-year-old male died at hospital due to carbon monoxide poisoning from generator running in the garage, in Northampton County, a 17- year-old boy drove his ATV into a downed tree, a 67-year-old male in Lehigh Township was found on the evening of November 2nd, apparently ran over by his tractor while cleaning up from the storm, in Lehigh County an 86-year-old female from Orefield was found unresponsive in her yard and pronounced dead from hypothermia, another man in Lehigh County also died from exposure, a 48-year-old female was found deceased in her home in Lower Macungie Township after being overcome by fumes from generator in her garage, in Berks County, an 86-year-old man died from carbon monoxide poisoning and in Philadelphia a 95-year-old female died from an electrical malfunction shortly after power was restored and a 64-year-old female died from a fire. There were six direct or indirect reported injuries. An infant in Upper Darby (Delaware County) was injured when a tree fell through the house. In Levittiown (Bucks County), two children were also injured when a tree fell through their home. Two people in Monroe County were hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning and a firefighter was injured in Carbon County responding to the carbon monoxide fatality. ||Tropical Storm Sandy formed in the Caribbean Sea on the 22nd of October. After drifting slowly southwest into the 23rd, Sandy turned to the north and intensified to a hurricane on the 24th just before making landfall in Jamaica during that afternoon. Hurricane Sandy continued to the north and intensified to a strong category two hurricane before making landfall again in Cuba shortly after Midnight EDT on the 25th. Hurricane Sandy emerged on the other side of Cuba during the morning of the 25th and proceeded to drift northwest as a category one or two hurricane as it moved through the Bahamas on the 25th and 26th. Overnight on the 26th, Hurricane Sandy (Category 1) started to move toward the north-northeast, a motion that continued into the evening of the 28th. From there, Sandy���s motion became driven by two factors. An anomalously strong blocking ridge over the Canadian Maritimes prevented Sandy from escaping to the east. Simultaneously, an approaching and deepening extratropical trough was about to capture Sandy. The combination of the two, turned Sandy to the north overnight on the 28th and then to the northwest on the 29th. Hurricane Sandy received one last jolt of tropical energy as it passed across the Gulf Stream during the morning of the 29th. The lowest recorded central pressure of 940 millibars (27.76 inches) occurred when Category 1 Hurricane Sandy was about 110 miles southeast of Atlantic City at 2 p.m. EDT on the 29th. As Sandy continued to move northwest and interact with the mid latitude trough, its interaction continued to make it less tropical, but did not weaken it much. Sandy continued to make a harder turn to the left (west) and made landfall in Atlantic County as a post tropical storm in Brigantine City just north of Atlantic City at 730 p.m. EDT on the 29th. The estimated minimum central pressure was 945 millibars. The lowest recorded central pressure was 945.6 millibars at the Atlantic City Marina at 734 p.m. EDT. From there, Sandy continued to weaken or fill as it moved west. At 9 p.m. EDT, the low pressure system was in western Atlantic County and continued to move west-northwest. Sandy entered Pennsylvania in Delaware County around 1030 p.m. EDT. At 11 p.m. EDT, the post tropical storm (about 954 millibars) was located in southern Chester County. Post tropical storm Sandy continued to move west-northwest and weaken. At 2 a.m. EDT on the 30th, the 962 millibar low was located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and at 8 a.m. EDT the 979 millibar low was near Altoona, Pennsylvania. From there, the rapidly weakening low pressure system moved northwest and reached Lake Erie (993 millibars) at 8 p.m. EDT that evening and from there drifted north into Canada.| |The unique aspect of Sandy and unlike most tropical systems was the multi-tide cycle increase of onshore winds prior to landfall. In Upper Delaware Bay and tidal sections of the Delaware River, some minor tidal flooding occurred during the evening high tide cycle on the 28th, moderate (upper Delaware Bay) and major (the tidal Delaware River) record breaking tidal flooding occurred during the one overnight high tide cycle on the 29th as Sandy moved westward. The storm surge averaged 4 to 5 feet. The region was spared higher surges as Sandy made landfall in New Jersey and the winds prior to landfall pushed water down the Delaware River and Delaware Bay. Borderline minor to moderate tidal flooding occurred during the subsequent daytime high tide cycle on the 30th. Minor tidal flooding occurred along tidal sections of the Delaware with the high tide cycle on the 31st. Tidal sections of the Delaware River were spared significant runoff from the non-tidal sections of the river as the heaviest rain occurred in the southern half of New Jersey.||Strong north to northeast winds associated with Sandy started to spread across the state during the morning of the 29th. High or damaging winds started during the middle of the afternoon on the 29th in the local Philadelphia area. High winds spread across the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania by the start of the evening. Most of the peak wind gusts (between 60 mph and 80 mph) occurred during the middle evening hours of the 29th as Sandy was making landfall. The high winds were over by around Midnight EDT that night and as Sandy rapidly weakened. Except for the Poconos where it lingered until the morning, most of the strong wind gusts were also over shortly after Midnight EDT on the 30th. The highest measured wind gust in Mount Holly���s forecast and warning area in Pennsylvania was 81 mph in Allentown (Lehigh County). ||Heavy rain also occurred with Sandy in the southeast part of the state. This made it easier for shallow rooted and leafed trees to be uprooted, it also complicated the tidal flooding. Unlike some of the more recent tropical systems to affect the area, the heaviest rain fell south of the state of Pennsylvania. Event rainfall totals averaged 1 to 2.5 inches in the Poconos, Lehigh Valley and Bucks County, 2.5 inches to 5 inches in Berks, Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties and 4 to 6 inches in Chester County. The steady rain associated with Sandy started to spread into the state during the day on the 28th and slowly edged north and northeast and reached all of the state by the morning of the 29th. The heaviest rain fell during the morning and afternoon on the 29th. The rain ended during the middle of the day on the 30th. | |In the city of Philadelphia, about 10,000 people were evacuated including the Eastwick Neighborhood. Approximately 100 trees were knocked down and about 140,000 PECO customers lost power. Hundreds of events were cancelled or postponed. Tidal flooding occurred along Delaware Avenue. The refineries within the city could not operate at full capacity because of power outages. Bucks County was one of the hardest hit counties in Eastern Pennsylvania with around 200,000 homes and businesses losing power. Thirty-eight roadways were closed due to wind damage with the most closures in Solebury Township. In Montgomery County, around 200,000 homes and businesses also lost power. The high winds destroyed one home in the county, caused major damage to sixteen others, minor damage to nineteen others and affected an additional twenty homes. The most road closures were in Upper Dublin Township while the hardest hit townships were East Norriton, West Norriton, Lower Providence, Upper Merion, Lower Merion and Whitpain. In Delaware County, a home in Newtown Square was badly damaged by a downed tree. About 86,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Chester County, three homes were damaged by downed trees in West Goshen Township. About 74,000 homes and businesses lost power. Six roadways in the township were closed. Most of the worst wind damage occurred in the eastern part of the county in East Goshen, East Whiteland, Tredyffrin, Westtown and Easttown Townships. County offices and Longwood Gardens reopened on the 31st. ||In Berks County, thirty-one roadways were closed. In the Lehigh Valley, 181,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Lehigh County, the high winds caused major damage to thirteen homes, minor damage to thirty-two homes and affected an additional eighty-six homes. Flights were cancelled from Lehigh Valley International Airport on the 29th and through Noon EDT on the 30th. About 29 roads were closed. In neighboring Northampton County, thirty-two roadways were closed. In the Poconos, in Monroe County, the worst reported wind damage occurred in Lehman and Middle Smithfield Townships. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was closed. At the Pocono Raceway, the wind knocked down a steeple. Thirty-one roadways were closed. Carbon County fared better as only five roadways were closed.| |Peak wind gusts included 81 mph in Allentown (Lehigh County), 77 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 76 mph in Bensalem (Bucks County), 70 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Northeast Philadelphia Airport and Bushkill (Northampton County), 68 mph in Perkasie (Bucks County) and the Philadelphia International Airport, 66 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 64 mph in Mount Aetna (Berks County), 62 mph in Wind Gap (Northampton County), 59 mph in Newbold (Bucks County), Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Newtown Square (Delaware County), 56 mph in Yardley, 48 mph in West Grove (Chester County), 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and 45 mph in Coatesville (Chester County). ||In Philadelphia, the overnight high tide on the 29th reached a record breaking 10.62 feet above mean lower low water. The previous record was 10.5 feet above mean lower low water during a pair of nor���easters: April 17, 2011 and November 25, 1950. Flooding was reported in Philadelphia along the Delaware River on Delaware Avenue and Columbus Boulevard. In Bucks County, at Newbold Island the highest crest was 12.27 feet above mean lower low water.

Strong south winds preceding an approaching squall line and cold front caused pockets of wind damage across most of Eastern Pennsylvania during the first half of the afternoon on the 18th. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph and knocked down tree limbs, weak trees and wires. The combination of the strong winds and squall line knocked out power to approximately 85,000 homes and businesses in Eastern Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia Suburbs, PECO Energy outages were concentrated in Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Two school districts (Springfield and Spring-Ford) were closed the ensuing day (the 19th) because of the outages. All power was restored by the evening of the 19th. In the Poconos, Pennsylvania, Power and Light outages were concentrated in Monroe County. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 41 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The strong south winds in combination with high astronomical spring tides coming off the new moon produced minor tidal flooding during the afternoon high tide cycle along tidal sections of the Delaware River. In Philadelphia, the high tide reached 8.4 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding begins at 8.2 feet above mean lower low water.

A powerful squall line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the very late afternoon and first half of the evening on the 26th. Over 17,000 homes and businesses lost power because of downed trees, tree limbs and wires. More than 10,000 still did not have power on the morning of the 27th.

Thunderstorms developed in the hot and humid air mass, as a weak warm front, associated with low pressure over the Midwest, moved northward through the Mid Atlantic on the morning of June 29th. Strong thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees and power lines, along with producing large hail in Chester and Delaware Counties.

An unseasonably hot and humid day produced high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s in Eastern Pennsylvania (except in the Poconos). Combined with the humidity levels, maximum hourly heat indices reached around 100F in the Lehigh Valley and around 105F in Berks County and Southeast Pennsylvania. The excessive heat claimed the life of a 70-year-old man in Philadelphia. The windows to his home were closed and a fan was found running. The heat then set the stage for the powerful derecho that moved through southern New Jersey later that night. High temperatures on the 29th included 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County), 96 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 95 degrees in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County). While high temperatures on the 30th reached into the lower 90s, the derecho brought in slighter drier air in its wake.

Strong northwest winds occurred from the middle of the morning into the early evening of the 26th in Eastern Pennsylvania following a cold frontal passage. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph, downed isolated weak trees, scattered tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. In addition, the recent dry weather coupled with the strong winds increased the threat for rapidly expanding wildfires. One person was injured when a tree fell onto their pickup truck on Pennsylvania State Route 611 along the Northampton and Monroe County lines. The roadway was closed for a two mile stretch south of Delaware Water Gap in Monroe County. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Pottstown (Montgomery County), 46 mph in Mount Pocono (Sussex County). 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 44 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County) and 43 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County). The strong northwest winds were caused by the pressure difference between a high pressure system building into the Great Lakes and a low pressure system in the Canadian Maritimes. As the high pressure system moved closer during the evening of the 26th and the low pressure system moved offshore, winds diminished.

Strong southwest winds preceding an approaching cold front produced wind gusts of around 45 mph in extreme southeastern Pennsylvania. The strong winds knocked down some weak tree limbs and power lines and caused very isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 44 mph in Coatesville (Chester County).

A nearly seventy millibar surface pressure difference between an intense low pressure system moving through the Canadian Maritimes (it bottomed at 963 millibars at 1 p.m. EST on the 25th in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence) and a high pressure system in the Central Plains produced over twenty-four hours of strong winds in the Poconos and nearly twenty-four hours of strong winds elsewhere across Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening on the 24th through the evening on the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and the strong winds downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and caused scattered outages. A downed tree by itself knocked out power to 420 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers in Franconia (Montgomery County). In the Lehigh Valley, about 750 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers lost power, most of them in Bethlehem (Northampton County) after a downed tree took down wires.||Peak wind gusts included 54 mph in Nesquehoning (Carbon County), 49 mph in Reading (Berks County), 48 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and the Philadelphia International Airport, 46 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 45 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). The strong winds started shortly after a cold frontal passage moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon of the 24th and persisted into the evening on the 25th, ending last in the Poconos. Winds started to slowly diminish after the low pressure system started to weaken and moved farther away from Pennsylvania.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system caused strong west to northwest winds to occur across Pennsylvania from the afternoon of the 27th through just after midnight on the 28th. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 to 50 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. The strongest wind gusts occurred across Southeastern Pennsylvania.||Peak wind gust included 47 mph in Northeast Philadelphia (Philadelphia County), 46 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 44 mph in West Grove (Chester County) and London Grove Township (Chester County), 43 mph in Reading (Berks County), Doylestown (Bucks County) and in Allentown (Lehigh County), and 41 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Coatesville (Chester County).

Strong westerly winds were recorded early in the morning and again later in the day on the 13th across eastern Pennsylvania, following a cold frontal passage. Peak wind gusts averaged between 45 and 50 mph, resulting in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. Measured wind gusts included 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 47 mph in Allentown at the Lehigh Valley International Airport (Lehigh County), 44 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (Philadelphia County), 44 mph at the Reading Regional Airport (Berks County), and 43 mph in Mount Pocono at the Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport (Monroe County). The strong westerly winds recorded early in the morning accompanied an arctic cold front, and another round of higher wind gusts occurred around midday in the strong cold air advection. As the pressure gradient (difference) relaxed late in the day, the strong winds subsided from west to east across the area.

An unprecedented winter storm for late October not only dropped heavy snow across most of Eastern Pennsylvania, but caused widespread power outages and road closures as many deciduous trees still had foliage. Nearly one million utility customers in Eastern Pennsylvania lost power and power was not fully restored until November 6th. Eight people lost their lives (one directly) because of the winter storm. Except for Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, accumulations averaged 6 to 12 inches with some larger amounts over higher terrain locations. Accumulations in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties averaged 1 to 3 inches. The hardest hit areas included the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and Bucks County. Shelters, warming stations, showers and ice distribution locations were opened in the hardest hit areas. Many hotels were booked solid in those areas.||Precipitation started as snow during the early morning of the 29th in the Poconos and remained as snow throughout the event. The snow fell at its heaviest during the afternoon and ended that evening. Across the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the northwest Philadelphia suburbs, precipitation initially started as rain during the early morning of the 29th, but as the precipitation intensity increased, it changed to snow between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT in most places. The snow fell heavy at times between 10 a.m. EDT and 4 p.m. EDT. As precipitation became lighter, it mixed with some sleet and rain, especially toward Philadelphia that evening. Precipitation ended late that evening. In Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, precipitation type was intensity driven. Precipitation started as rain during the early morning of the 29th. As waves of heavier precipitation passed over the counties, precipitation type changed back and forth between snow, rain and sleet. As the intensity lessened during that evening, precipitation changed back to rain and ended around Midnight EDT on the 30th.||In Berks County, in Temple (Muhlenberg Township), an 84-year-old man was killed when a snow covered tree fell through his house and killed him while he was sleeping on his recliner. In Lehigh County, a 60-year-old man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after using a charcoal grill to heat their home in Emmaus. A 17-year-old boy died from an all terrain vehicle accident in the snow in North Whitehall Township. In Bucks County, a pair of traffic accidents claimed the lives of four people. A 27-year-old male and a 26-year-old male were killed in a one car crash on the morning of the 29th on a snow covered road in Middletown Township. On the morning of the 30th, a 25-year-old male and his 31-year-old female passenger died in Bristol Township after the vehicle slid through a guard rail on Interstate 95, plunged down the embankment onto the shoulder of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Another male and female passenger were injured in the same crash. There was a 25 vehicle crash overnight on Interstate 95 in Bucks County, but no additional serious injuries were reported. In Monroe County, a 57-year-old woman passenger died after the Sports Utility Vehicle she was a passenger in crashed into a car on Pennsylvania State Route 611 in Stroud Township. ||The combination of the heavy wet snow and trees still with leaves on them caused nearly one million customers in Eastern Pennsylvania to lose power. For Pennsylvania, Power and Light, the 400,000 customers that lost power was the third worst outage in the utility's history. The utility had to use helicopters to survey the damage. Metropolitan Edison reported that about 285,000 of its customers lost power. PECO Energy reported that 250,000 of its customers lost power, its worst October outage ever. Bucks, Montgomery and Chester Counties were hit the hardest. Over 100 roads were closed in Eastern Pennsylvania because of the downed trees, 65 roads were still closed on November 1st and 34 roads were still closed on November 2nd. Most of them were in Berks and Lehigh Counties. ||The Lehigh Valley was one of the hardest hit locations. Some schools and universities were closed through November 2nd. Two-thirds of the Borough of Emmaus lost power. Boil water advisories and shelters for pets were opened. Leaf collections were suspended. About 6,100 customers still did not have power as of November 3rd. In Berks County, hotels were solidly booked and some schools were not in session until November 3rd. In Bucks County, about 25 roads were blocked by fallen trees and tree limbs. The snow caused about 85 flights to be cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport on the 29th. ||Representative snowfall included 16.0 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County) and Springtown (Bucks County), 14.0 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County), 13.5 inches in Summit Hill (Carbon County), 13.3 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 12.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 11.5 inches in Bossardsville (Monroe County), 10.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 9.5 inches in Bushkill Township (Northampton County), 9.4 inches in Macungie (Lehigh County), 9.1 inches in Elverson (Chester County), 9.0 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 8.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County) and Lehighton (Carbon County), 7.0 inches in Leesport (Berks County), 6.8 inches at the Lehigh Valley international Airport, 6.5 inches in Nazareth (Northampton County), 6.1 inches in Montgomeryville (Montgomery County), 6.0 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 5.2 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 5.0 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and Exton (Chester County), 4.0 inches in Wayne (Delaware County), 2.4 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 1.0 inch in Drexel Hill (Delaware County) and 0.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. ||The unprecedented winter storm was caused by an intensifying low pressure system that moved from Georgia on the evening of the 28th northeast to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 8 a.m. EDT on the 29th. From there it took a turn more toward the northnortheast and was off the Delmarva Peninsula at 2 p.m. EDT on the 29th. The low pressure system started moving to the northeast again and passed southeast of Montauk Point, New York at 8 p.m. EDT on the 29th and just southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts at 2 a.m. EDT on the 30th. While the storm track would be ideal for a winter time snow, for an event like this to occur in late October, it needed assistance from a high pressure system that left dry air initially in place and made it easier for a process known as evaporational cooling to take place and make it cold enough for snow. Once the precipitation intensity became heavier, another process known as dynamical cooling (heat is removed from the air mass to melt the snow) more than compensated for the warm air that was moving in from the Atlantic Ocean.||The 6.8 inches of snow that fell at the Lehigh Valley International Airport was the heaviest snow to ever fall during the month of October more than tripling the previous record from 1925. This was only the fourth time since 1884 that measurable snow fell in Philadelphia in October and the first time since October 10, 1979.

Irene produced heavy flooding rain, tropical storm force wind gusts with hundreds of thousands of outages, moderate tidal flooding along the Delaware River and one flooding related death in Eastern Pennsylvania over the weekend of August 27th and 28th. Moderate stream and river flooding occurred in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley and moderate to major river flooding occurred in southeast Pennsylvania. For many places in southeastern Pennsylvania, it was the worst creek and river flooding since Hurricane Floyd in 1999 or the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. Flooding along non-tidal sections of the Delaware River was minor to moderate. There were two direct storm caused deaths: a wind related death in Monroe County and a drowning in Montgomery County. About 500,000 PECO Energy and 420,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers lost power in Eastern Pennsylvania. For both utilities this ranked within the top five outages of all time. Preliminary damage estimates were around six million dollars. In addition to property damage, the winds and rains badly damaged the corn crop in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area was closed through Labor Day Weekend (September 5th). ||Tropical storm force wind gusts overspread Eastern Pennsylvania during the evening of the 27th and persisted into the afternoon of the 28th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The strongest winds associated with Irene occurred at two distinct times. The first surge occurred during bands of heavier rain during the evening of the 27th and early morning of the 28th. The second peak occurred during the afternoon of the 28th when skies were clearing and deeper mixing of the atmosphere brought stronger winds to the ground. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred at this time. The rain associated with Irene overspread Eastern Pennsylvania during the late morning on the 27th, fell at its heaviest from during the evening of the 27th into the early morning of the 28th and ended during the early afternoon on the 28th. Event precipitation totals averaged 3 to 7 inches and caused widespread flooding. Because the flash flooding and flooding blended into one, all flooding related stormdata county entries were combined into one under flood events. The storm surge of 3 to 5 feet caused moderate tidal flooding along tidal sections of the Delaware River overnight on the 27th. Minor tidal flooding occurred during the high tide cycles from the 29th through the 31st. | |In Stroudsburg (Monroe County), a 44-year-old man died when a tree fell on him in his backyard. He pushed his son to safety. Governor Tom Corbett declared a state of emergency for the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority halted all commuter rail service during the evening of the 27th as multiple tornado warnings were issued. Three large shelters on the evening of August 27th in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia International Airport closed at 1030 p.m. EDT on the 27th and reopened on Monday the 29th. In Philadelphia, the storm left thousands without power. More than 500 trees fell in the city, seven buildings collapsed and twenty roads were closed. PECO Energy restored power by August 31st.||The highest wind gusts recorded during Irene were 57 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 53 mph in Allentown (Lehigh County), 52 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 48 mph in Reading (Berks County), 46 mph in Coatesville (Chester County), 45 mph in Northeast Philadelphia (Philadelphia County), 44 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 44 mph in Newbold (Bucks County) and 40 mph in Quakertown (Bucks County). The high tide in Philadelphia reached 9.89 feet above mean lower low water during the early morning of the 28th. Moderate tidal flooding begins at 9.20 feet above mean lower low water. ||Hurricane Irene formed east of the Leeward Islands on Saturday the 20th. It moved northeast and passed over Puerto Rico overnight on the 21st. As Irene moved off the island, it intensified into a hurricane. Irene just bypassed the island of Hispaniola to its north and then passed over the Eastern Bahamas on the 25th as it reached category three hurricane strength. From the Bahamas, Irene moved nearly due north and slowly weakened to a category two hurricane on the 26th and a category one hurricane on the 27th. Irene made her initial landfall near Cape Lookout, North Carolina at 8 a.m. EDT on the 27th and then proceeded to the northnortheast and went back over the Atlantic Ocean near the Virginia and North Carolina border at 7 p.m. EDT on the 27th. From there Irene paralleled the Delmarva Peninsula and the center passed about 15 miles east of Delaware between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. EDT on the 28th. Irene made her second landfall as a tropical storm on Brigantine Island, just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 535 a.m. EDT on the 28th. From there the center of Irene moved along eastern parts of Ocean and Monmouth Counties and was located near Tinton Falls Township in Monmouth County at 8 a.m. EDT on the 28th. At about 9 a.m. EDT the center of Irene passed over New York City.||Irene helped shatter all time monthly precipitation records. In Philadelphia, the 19.31 inches of rain established a new all-time August as well as monthly record. It was nearly half of the normal yearly precipitation total. A new August as well as all-time monthly rainfall record of 13.47 inches was also established in Allentown.

A series of thunderstorms that preceded and accompanied a lee side trough and a cold front produced strong to locally severe thunderstorms mainly during the afternoon and early evening across Eastern Pennsylvania. About 6,000 PECO Energy customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia. All power was restored by the morning of the 22nd.

One of the most oppressive heat waves since mid July 1995 enveloped Eastern Pennsylvania from July 21st through the 24th. The heat was responsible for twenty-five deaths, twenty-two within Philadelphia and dozens of heat related injuries. Many locations had high temperatures that reached into the 100s. The most oppressive day was July 22nd when the combination of temperature and dew points pushed afternoon heat index values over 105F and neared 120F in Philadelphia. ||There were twenty-five heat related deaths in Eastern Pennsylvania, twenty-two in Philadelphia, two in Montgomery County and one in Lehigh County. Most were elderly people with underlying health problems who were found indoors without air-conditioning. There were dozens upon dozens of cases of heat exhaustion and other heat related illnesses. The largest concentration occurred at the Philadelphia Phillies game at Citizen Bank Park on the 22nd.||To combat the heat, many counties, cities and municipalities opened cooling centers. The hours of air-conditioned senior citizen centers were extended. Homeless shelters also extended their hours. County severe weather emergency phone lines were activated. In Philadelphia, the Corporation for Aging had councilors and nurses on the phone through Midnight EDT each day. The city opened sixty cooling centers. Philadelphia schools dismissed early on the 21st and cancelled all classes on the 22nd. People flocked to the malls, movie theaters and pools to keep cool. Construction workers adjusted their work days and started early. Paving work was postponed. Some municipalities enacted burning bans. Water and electrical service shutoffs were postponed. Home air-conditioning repairs, ice suppliers, automobile air conditioning repairs, chilly treat vendors all saw increases in demand as was an increase in water deliveries. ||The heat caused the buckling of U.S, Route 422 near Pottstown in Montgomery County. Utilities urged people to conserve electricity and water while many were setting usage records. Overall there were not many heat related power outages, but a power outage in Chester County forced the evacuation of a drug and rehabilitation center. The PJM Interconnect (manages high voltage transmission systems) which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey set an all time record usage of 158,000 megawatts at 5 p.m. EDT on July 21st. Pennsylvania Power and Light set all-time record usage of 7,622 megawatts at 2 p.m. EDT on the 22nd. ||The lack of rain along with the heat was stressing both farm crops and livestock. ||Highest temperatures (all of which occurred on the 22nd) included 106 degrees in Reading (Berks County), 105 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 104 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 103 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and Doylestown (Bucks County), 102 degrees in Quakertown (Bucks County) and 94 degrees in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). The highest hourly heat index at the Philadelphia International Airport was 119 degrees on the 22nd. No official records on heat index are kept, but it was believed this was the highest hourly heat index in Philadelphia since July 15, 1995.||At the Philadelphia International Airport, the 103 degree high temperature on the 22nd was the hottest day since July 3, 1966 (103 degrees) and the 4th highest maximum temperature on record. The minimum temperature of 83 degrees on the 23rd tied July 24, 2010 with the highest minimum temperature on record. The monthly average temperature of 82.4 degrees was not only the warmest July on record, but also the warmest month ever. The 21 days in which the maximum temperature reached 90 degrees or high is in a four way tie for the most in any July and any month. ||At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the 104 degree high temperature on the 22nd was the second hottest day on record second only to July 3, 1966 (105 degrees). The minimum temperature of 78 degrees on the 22nd was the second highest minimum temperature on record. The monthly average temperature of 78.0 degrees tied for the third warmest July on record, but also tied the third warmest month ever. ||At the Reading Regional Airport, the monthly average temperature of 80.4 degrees was the second warmest July and month on record to 1955 (81.5 degrees). The 20 days in which the maximum temperature reached 90 degrees or high tied with 1955 and 1999 as the most for any July or any month. At the Pocono Municipal Airport in Mount Pocono, the monthly average temperature of 71.9 degrees was the second warmest July and month on record only surpassed by 1949 (72.5 degrees). ||This heat wave helped make July 2011 the sixth hottest July on record for the state of Pennsylvania with a statewide average temperature of 74.4 degrees. ||A weak cold front ended the heat wave on the 25th.

Strong to high southeast winds affected Southeastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening of the 16th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph with some isolated wind gusts to around 60 mph. The highest wind gusts occurred during the evening. The strong to high winds coupled with the heavy rain, knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and wires. The strong to high gradient winds were exacerbated further by isolated severe thunderstorms. About 25,000 homes and businesses lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania. ||Peak wind gusts included 61 mph in Springtown (Bucks County), 58 mph in West Grove (Chester County) and 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and the Philadelphia International Airport. The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between a strong high pressure system departing the Canadian Maritimes and an approaching cold front from the Ohio Valley. Winds eased after the occluded front moved through Pennsylvania late in the evening on the 16th.

A very strong cold frontal passage produced strong to high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and early evening on the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 50 to 60 mph, highest around the local Philadelphia area. The winds downed trees, tree limbs and power lines. The high wind gusts occurred during the first hour after the cold front passed while lesser, but still strong, wind gusts persisted into the first half of the evening. In Delaware County, the high winds tore two roofs off of homes on Green Street in Marcus Hook. A third home was damaged by the flying debris. In Chester County, in Tredyffrin Township, a downed tree crashed into the bedroom of a Mancill Road home. No injuries were reported in either county. At Philadelphia International Airport, flight delays averaged 90 minutes and about 100 flights were cancelled. PECO Energy reported about 45,000 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania.||Peak wind gusts included 63 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 59 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 56 mph in London Grove (Chester County), 55 mph in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 54 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 53 mph in Newbold (Bucks County) and Coatesville (Chester County), 52 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and 51 mph at Mount Pocono (Monroe County).||The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure difference between a large high pressure system in the middle of the United States and an intense low pressure system that moved through eastern New England and the Canadian Maritimes. The winds received an additional boost from the large atmospheric pressure rises that occurred just after the cold front passed.

Strong to high west to northwest winds affected Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening of the 18th through the evening of the 19th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 55 mph. The winds tore down trees, tree limbs and wires and caused power outages. Over 120,000 homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by the morning of the 21st. It was surmised that the wet soil from the recent snow melt made it easier for trees to be toppled. The stronger winds began following a cold frontal passage on the evening of the 18th. The strong to high winds reached their peak speeds during the late morning and afternoon of the 19th and then slowly decreased during the evening and overnight on the 19th. ||In Monroe and Pike Counties, about 6,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers lost power. In the Lehigh Valley, about 11,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers lost power with a five to one ratio between Lehigh and Northampton Counties. In Lehigh County, in Allentown, the high wind stripped the aluminum facade off a business on Tilghman Street, tore signs down from two other businesses and tore lose a banner at the top of the Wachovia Bank and 7th and Turner Streets. Upper Macungie Township suffered the most power outages in the county. In Berks County, about 5,000 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power. In Birdsboro, the high winds caused the collapse of two burnt out buildings on North Furnace Street. In Boyertown, seven poles were knocked down.||In the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, about 97,000 PECO Energy customers lost power with Bucks County the hardest hit. The number of customer outages at 6 p.m. EST that evening was down to 19,000. In Bucks County, a family of seven in Bristol Township had to be relocated after a tree fell through the roof of their Balsam Road home. In Falls Township, a piece of a roof was torn off an industrial building on Ridge Drive and damaged two vehicles. In Langhorne, a downed tree shorted wires which caused appliance damage to a home. In Doylestown, a store's equipment was damaged from a similar surge. The Parx horse racing card in Bensalem was cancelled. In Montgomery County, in Douglass Township, the roof of an apartment building on Market Road was partially torn away. Snapped poles occurred in Lower Pottsgrove Township. All Delaware River Bridges in the local Philadelphia area had speed reductions and banned empty tractor-trailers through the evening of the 19th. ||Peak wind gusts included 61 mph in Kennett Square (Chester County), 60 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 58 mph in Reading (Berks County), 56 mph in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 55 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 52 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), 51 mph in Coatesville (Chester County), Willow Grove (Montgomery County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport.| |The strong to high winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a strong high pressure system building into the United States from central Canada and a low pressure system in the Canadian Maritimes. Winds started decreasing when the low pressure system moved east of the Canadian Maritimes on the night of the 19th and the high pressure system reached the Great Lakes.

Freezing rain fell across Delaware and Philadelphia Counties overnight on February 1st. Ice accretions averaged one quarter to half an inch with the highest amounts in northern Delaware County. PECO Energy reported power outages to about 185,000 of its customers because the ice took down trees, tree limbs and wires in southeastern Pennsylvania. Most of the outages occurred in Chester, Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Philadelphia schools had a two hour delayed opening on the 2nd. Recycling and trash pick-ups were delayed. Amtrak rail service between Philadelphia and New York City was disrupted because of the ice. The freezing rain started in the evening on February 1st. Warmer air moved in overnight and temperatures slowly rose. The freezing rain changed to plain rain around 7 a.m. EST on the morning of the 2nd. Untreated roadways were hazardous. The freezing rain was caused by a combination of a low pressure system that was moving east up the Ohio Valley and a high pressure system that cut across southern Canada. The former provided the rain while the latter helped leave enough cold air in place for freezing to occur overnight on the 1st. Enough warm air moved in at the surface close to sunrise on the 2nd to change the freezing rain to rain.

A protracted winter storm with a one-two punch affected Eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning of the 26th into the early morning of the 27th. This was the heaviest single snow event of the season for both Philadelphia and Allentown and included thundersnow in and around Philadelphia during the evening of the 26th. Snow and sleet accumulations averaged 12 to 16 inches around the local Philadelphia area, around 12 inches in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and 3 to 8 inches in the Poconos.||Around Philadelphia and the northwest suburbs, precipitation began as snow just before the start of the morning commute on the 26th. The snow fell heavy at times during the morning in the northwest suburbs as several inches accumulated. The snow changed to sleet and rain (some pockets of freezing rain in Bucks County) close to Noon EST. Precipitation became spottier during the afternoon. Steadier rain started again late in the afternoon on the 26th and changed quickly to sleet and snow around 6 p.m. EST. The snow fell heavy at times during the evening and ended around 2 a.m. EST on the 27th. In Berks County and the Lehigh Valley precipitation began as snow during the start of the morning commute on the 26th. The snow changed to a spottier mixture of sleet and freezing rain during the early afternoon. Precipitation changed back to all snow by 6 p.m. EST on the 26th and fell heavy at times during the evening. The snow ended around 2 a.m. EST on the 27th. Across the Poconos, snow began around 6 a.m. EST on the 26th, fell heavy at times during the late afternoon and evening and ended around Midnight EST on the 27th.||The one-two punch hit the local Philadelphia the hardest. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. There were more than three dozen accidents during the morning of the 26th. This included an ambulance on its way to a hospital with a patient in West Nantmeal Township (Chester County). No injuries were reported. SEPTA regional transportation reported service disruptions along with systemwide delays. Philadelphia International Airport had 41 morning flights cancelled and had average delays of three hours. With the first surge of snow on the morning of the 26th, many school districts made last minute decisions to either close or have delayed openings. Many closed early that afternoon. Even Saint Joseph's University and West Chester University closed.||Conditions though became worse when the second punch of heavier snow came through on the evening of the 26th. Snowfall rates reached 2 to 4 inches per hour. In Philadelphia, the emergency 311 hot line had four times the normal rate of calls. Many vehicles and buses were stuck in the snow. Some SEPTA bus drivers were stranded up to twelve hours. SEPTA still had service suspended on about one third of its routes on the 28th. About 1,500 travelers were stranded overnight on the 26th at Philadelphia International Airport. Schools and courts were closed on the 27th. Schools were also closed on the 28th. In the northwest suburbs, numerous crashes were reported in Berks, Chester and Montgomery Counties on Pennsylvania State Routes 100 and 29 as well as U.S. Routes 202 and 422. In West Pottsgrove (Montgomery County), a 45-year-old man was injured after his vehicle slid down an embankment on Westbound U.S. Route 422 and rolled over. In Northampton County, westbound Interstate 78 was closed for three hours overnight on the 26th between Pennsylvania State Routes 412 and 309 because of disabled commercial vehicles. The weight of the snow also downed some trees in the southeast part of the state, but power outages remained isolated. The continued onslaught of winter weather was causing numerous municipalities to exhaust their snow removal budgets. The city of Philadelphia estimated the clean-up costs from the latest winter storm was at least 6 million dollars. ||Representative snowfall included 16.9 inches in Bensalem (Bucks County), 16.4 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 16.1 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), 15.3 inches in Kennett Square (Chester County) and Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 15.1 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 14.8 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County) and Abington (Montgomery County), 14.0 inches in Exton (Chester County), 12.9 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 11.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 11.1 inches in Huffs Church (Berks County), 11.0 inches in Bethlehem (Northampton County), 10.8 inches in Shillington (Berks County), 9.2 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 8.5 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 8.2 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 4.4 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 2.9 inches in Bowmanstown and 2.5 inches in Palmerton.||The latest winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that emerged from the western Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and moved northeast to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th. From there it turned slightly more to the northnortheast and passed through the Delmarva coastal waters during the afternoon and early evening on the 26th and then continued northeast and passed just south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts early on the 27th. The turn more toward the coast permitted some warmer air to reach into southeastern Pennsylvania during the day on the 26th. The heavy snow burst was triggered by the surface low's upper air support that passed through the state on the evening of the 26th.

Strong to high winds occurred in the wake of the departing winter storm low pressure system on the 27th across Eastern Pennsylvania. Peak wind gusts average 50 to 55 mph and knocked down some weak tree limbs and power lines. The largest effect though was the considerable blowing and drifting of the snow the wind caused. This hampered plowing and clean-up operations after the snow ended. Sporadic power outages were reported in the local Philadelphia area.||The winds were caused first by pressure gradient (difference) between the low pressure system and a strong high pressure building east from the central part of the United States. Winds eased as the low moved farther away from the Middle Atlantic States as the day progressed on the 27th as well as it stopped intensifying after the morning of the 27th. The low pressure system's surface pressure bottomed at 961 millibars at 10 a.m. EST on the 27th as it was passing just east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The pressure gradient or difference between a strong high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and a low pressure system on the approaching cold front produced strong south winds across Eastern Pennsylvania during the morning and into the early afternoon on December 1st. Wind gusts were enhanced around a line of showers and isolated thunderstorms that preceded and accompanied the cold frontal passage during the late morning. Peak wind gusts average around 45 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires and caused isolated power outages. Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Forks Township (Northampton Township), 50 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 47 mph in Reading (Berks County), 45 mph in Coatesville (Chester County), 43 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 40 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The up the Delaware River south to southeast flow and fresh water runoff caused minor tidal flooding along the Delaware River and tidal sections of its tributaries around the morning high tide. In Philadelphia, the high tide reached 8.40 feet above mean lower low water. Minor tidal flooding starts at 8.2 feet above mean lower low water.

A squall line of showers and thunderstorms that preceded a cold front produced wind damage during the early morning on the 17th. The combination of the severe thunderstorms during the early morning and the gradient strong winds during the day of the 17th caused about 17,000 homes and businesses to lose power in southeastern Pennsylvania. All power was restored by Midnight EST on the 18th.

The pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying low pressure system that moved northeast through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system building into Pennsylvania from the southwest produced strong west winds during the day on the 17th. This was in addition to the strong to severe thunderstorms that moved through the eastern part of the state during the early morning of the 17th.||Daytime peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and tore down weak tree limbs and wires. The combination of the severe thunderstorms during the early morning and the gradient strong winds during the day of the 17th caused about 17,000 homes and businesses to lose power in southeastern Pennsylvania. All power was restored by Midnight EST on the 18th. The strong winds caused the Delaware River Port Authority to temporarily ban empty container trucks from crossing the Betsy Ross Bridge into or out of Philadelphia between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. EST on the 17th. ||The calendar day peak winds (some of these occurred during the early morning thunderstorms) included 56 mph in London Grove (Chester County), 47 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 43 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The combination of strong south to southeast winds during the day and evening on the 30th and periods of heavy rain downed weak trees, tree limbs and wires in Southeastern Pennsylvania. An automobile accident with a downed tree in Chester County claimed the life of one man. PECO Energy reported that 119,000 of its customers lost power. Peak wind gusts averaged 40 to 45 mph. The combination of the southeast winds and fresh water runoff also caused widespread minor tidal flooding during the evening high tide along the tidal sections of the Delaware River and its tributaries on the 30th.||In Chester County, a 47-year-old man was killed after his Sports Utility Vehicle spun off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and slammed into a downed tree. Downed trees blocked roadways in Coatesville and East Bradford. Downed wires closed a roadway on West Chester. In Delaware County, downed trees were reported in Havertown. in Philadelphia, a downed tree forced SEPTA to suspend service on one commuter rail line on the evening of the 30th. Delays at Philadelphia International Airport reached up to two hours because of the wind and rain. ||The early evening high tide reached 8.59 feet above mean lower low water in Philadelphia. Minor tidal flooding starts at 8.2 feet above mean lower low water while moderate tidal flooding starts at 9.2 feet above mean lower low water. Peak wind gusts included 44 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport. ||The strong wind was caused by the pressure difference between a high pressure system off the Eastern Seaboard and a low pressure system that moved from North Carolina north into Pennsylvania during the day on the 30th. As the initial low pressure system weakened and the frontal boundary moved closer to New Jersey, winds diminished overnight on the 30th.

A strong cold frontal passage triggered strong to severe thunderstorms from the Lehigh Valley southeast into the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area on the afternoon of the 25th. About 60,000 homes and businesses lost power, with the greatest concentration in Lehigh County in the Lehigh Valley and Chester County in southeastern Pennsylvania. It took up to 24 hours for all power to be restored. One lightning related injury occurred in Montgomery County.

Severe thunderstorms caused considerable tree damage and two injuries during the afternoon of the 24th across southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO Energy reported about 215,000 customers lost power, the 11th worst outage in company history. Chester and Delaware Counties were hit the hardest. as of 1201 a.m. EDT on the 25th, 190,000 customers were without power. That number dropped to 152,000 at Noon EDT on the 25th and 75,000 at 11 p.m. EDT on the 25th. Power was not fully restored until the 28th. The utility had to replace 140 poles, 140 pole top transformers, 900 pole cross arms and twenty miles of electrical cable. Regional rail lines were affected as downed trees blocked some routes. SEPTA delayed or suspended train service south of Philadelphia. All train service was not fully restored until the evening of the 25th. Downed trees also blocked lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County. Philadelphia International's 75 mph wind gust was the third highest on record.

Strong west winds affected Eastern Pennsylvania from the afternoon into the first half of the evening on the 8th. Strong winds persisted longer overnight over the higher terrain of the Poconos. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and tore down weak trees, tree limbs and wires. About 31,000 homes and businesses lost power. In southeastern Pennsylvania, about 25,000 PECO Energy homes and businesses lost power. In Pottstown (Montgomery County), a male driver was injured on South Street after a tree limb cracked his wind shield. In Bucks County, the majority of the Pennsylvania Power and Light outages were concentrated in East Rockhill Township. In the Lehigh Valley, in Upper Milford Township (Lehigh County), a minivan and pick-up truck were damaged by downed trees. Another tree fell against a home in Bethlehem. Outages in Lehigh County were concentrated in Upper Saucon Township.||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 55 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 51 mph at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 50 mph in Kenneth Square (Chester County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 47 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County) and 46 mph at the Willow Grove NAS in Montgomery County.||The strong west winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system moving toward the east from the Northern Plains.

The combination of the heavy rain and strong winds downed weak trees, tree limbs and wires throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and affected Bucks County the hardest. The strongest wind gusts mainly occurred during the afternoon of the 13th. Over 200,000 homes and businesses lost power. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees, one roof was damaged and one motorist was injured when struck by a downed tree. Several roads were closed because of downed trees. PECO Energy reported about 175,000 of its customers in southeastern Pennsylvania lost power. Power was fully restored by the 16th. AMTRAK was forced to suspend rail service on the 13th along the Northeast Corridor between Philadelphia and New York City because of overhead wire problems. In the Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Berks County, about 48,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was fully restored by the evening of the 14th.||In Bucks County, over 50,000 homes and businesses lost power. The County 911 center responded to eight times the normal volume of calls during the 13th. A 17-year-old female was seriously injured when her vehicle was struck by a falling tree on Sugar Road In Solebury Township. Homes were damaged by fallen trees in Middletown, Falls, Yardley, Bristol and Lower Southampton Townships. Power outages were concentrated in Northampton, Middletown, Bristol and Lower Southampton Townships. In Delaware County, a tree fell on a home in Radnor Township. In Montgomery County, about 39,000 homes and businesses lost power with the greatest concentration in Upper Providence and Upper Pottsgrove Townships. In Berks County, the roof of a building on South Reading Avenue in Boyertown separated from the building and started to blow off. The apartments underneath were evacuated until the roof was secured. In Lehigh County, outages were concentrated in Upper and Lower Milford Townships and Lower Macungie Township.||Peak wind gusts included 56 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Willow Grove (Montgomery County) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 48 mph in Reading (Berks County), 47 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and the Philadelphia International Airport and 41 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and London Grove (Chester County), ||The strong winds was caused by the pressure gradient or difference between a high pressure system over the Canadian Maritimes and an intense low pressure system moving toward New Jersey from Virginia. The strongest winds occurred between 6 a.m. EST and 6 p.m. EST on the 13th and weakened once the center of the low pressure system came closer to Pennsylvania.

The third widespread major winter storm of the month of February affected most of Eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning of the 25th into the middle of the day on the 26th. In the Poconos, snowfall averaged 12 to 24 inches. In the Lehigh Valley, snowfall averaged around one foot and in southeastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia 6 to 12 inches. The lightest snowfall occurred in Berks County. Snow began falling before dawn on the 25th. In and around Philadelphia, precipitation initially started as rain before changing to snow by 7 a.m. EST. Except for the Poconos and parts of the Lehigh Valley, the snow that fell during the day on the 25th had a hard time accumulating on roadways that mainly stayed wet. Once the sun set, both the snowfall intensity and wind increased. But unlike the previous winter storm, the wind increased first and then the snow became heavier. Thus less power outages occurred. The snow fell heavy at times overnight on the 25th and decreased in intensity during the day on the 26th. The snow ended around Noon EST, except lingered into the afternoon in the Poconos. The strongest winds occurred from 6 p.m. EST on the 25th and 6 a.m. EST on the 26th. ||Schools were closed on the 25th in Philadelphia. Most schools in Eastern Pennsylvania were closed on the 26th. Municipal meetings were canceled as were sports games. Hundreds of flights were canceled going in and out of Philadelphia International Airport. Snow drifts forced the closure of Pennsylvania State Route 10 in Chester County. Because the winds increased before the heavier snow, PECO Energy reported less than 1,000 of its customers lost power in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Only a few trees were knocked down. ||Representative snowfall included 20.5 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 15.3 inches in Martins Creek (Northampton County), 12.4 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 12.0 inches in Nazareth (Northampton County), 11.7 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 11.2 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 10.5 inches in Glendon (Northampton County), 10.3 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 10.1 inches in Exton (Chester County), 10.0 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 9.4 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 8.0 inches in Sellersville (Bucks County), Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Downingtown (Chester County), 7.5 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 7.1 inches in Rockledge (Philadelphia County), 6.6 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 6.0 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 5.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 3.9 inches in Fleetwood (Berks County) and 2.2 inches in West Lawn (Berks County).||Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Coatesville (Chester County), 43 mph at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 40 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 39 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and 38 mph in Reading (Berks County). ||This last winter storm concluded a record breaking and unprecedented month for snow in February across Eastern Pennsylvania, especially in Philadelphia. At the Philadelphia International Airport, the 51.5 inches of snow that fell in February 2010 surpassed the previous snowiest February by 20 inches and was the snowiest month on record. The 51.5 inches of snow that fell In February alone would qualify it as the 5th snowiest winter on record. In all, 78.7 inches of snow fell this season in Philadelphia and was the snowiest season on record. The previous record was 65.5 inches set in 1995-6. At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the 42.9 inches of snow that fell during February 2010 was the snowiest February on record, but the second snowiest month on record, barely surpassed by January 1925 (43.2 inches). The seasonal snowfall total of 59.8 inches was the 6th snowiest season on record.||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed east of Florida on the 24th. At 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it (992 millibar low pressure system) was well east of the North Carolina coast and was intensifying rapidly as it was moving north. At 1 p.m. EST on the 25th, it was a 987 millibar low well east of the Delmarva Peninsula. At 7 p.m. EST on the 25th, it was a 978 millibar low just east of Long Island. At 10 p.m. EST on the 25th, it deepened to 972 millibars and was located along the Rhode Island and Massachusetts border. From there, a rare occurrence happened as the low pressure system retrograded or move westward. At 1 a.m. EST on the 26th, the 972 millibar low was in Connecticut; at 7 a.m. EST it weakened to 979 millibars and was over New York City. It spent the rest of the daylight hours weakening over the New York City area and then drifted slowly north that night. The heaviest snow across a widespread area occurred during the retrogression process, but the intensity of the snow decreased once the low pressure system weakened.

For the second time within a week a major winter storm affected Eastern Pennsylvania on the 10th and 11th and smashed seasonal snowfall records in the Philadelphia area. Snowfall averaged one to two feet with some locally higher amounts in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs. ||Around the local Philadelphia area, snow began during the early evening on the 9th. As warmer air moved in aloft, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST on the 10th. Surface temperatures responded slower and the sleet and freezing rain changed over to rain during the morning of the 10th. Some sleet mixed in from time to time. As the low pressure system moved northeast of the region, the rain changed back to snow by Noon EST on the 10th and fell heavy at times during the afternoon. Winds also increased and started to down snow laden tree limbs and trees. The snow ended late in the evening on the 10th. In the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania, snow began during the evening of the 9th and fell at its heaviest from the late morning into the afternoon of the 10th. The snow ended during the evening of the 10th.||Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared a state of disaster emergency. Many counties, cities and municipalities issued their own snow and/or states of emergencies. Even Pennsylvania Power and Light declared its own snow emergency. Many city, federal, social and county offices as well as courthouses were closed on the 10th and 11th. Many municipal meetings were postponed. Interstates 76, 176, 476, 676 and 78 were all closed on the afternoon of the 10th and reopened on the 11th. The Pennsylvania National Guard was activated to assist stranded motorists and to assist people without power in southeastern Pennsylvania with food and blankets. Schools were closed on the 10th and 11th, some even on the 12th. Many businesses were closed on the 10th. Philadelphia International Airport was closed on the 10th and reopened on the afternoon of the 11th. SEPTA regional rail and bus service was suspended in southeastern Pennsylvania on the 10th and 11th. Because the heavy snow clung to the trees first and then the winds increased, PECO Energy suffered its worst winter time power outage (9th highest overall) since the ice storm of January 1994. About 225,000 homes and businesses lost power. Several shelters were opened in the Philadelphia suburbs. Power was not fully restored until the 13th. About 8,500 Pennsylvania Power and light customers lost power, their power was fully restored by the 11th. Many school districts ran out of snow days and municipal snow removal budgets were exceeded. Trash collections were postponed. The combination of the two heavy snow events within a week started causing roof collapses in the Philadelphia suburbs. No injuries occurred.||The combination of heavy snow and then the increasing wind caused many pine trees to snap and/or be uprooted in and around Philadelphia. It was the 9th highest power outage in PECO Energy's history. They had 1,549 outage events and about 225,000 customers affected. Outages by county were 60,500 in Chester, 55,000 in Delaware, 47,650 Bucks, 44,700 in Montgomery and 17,000 in Philadelphia. All power was restored by the 13th. The utility replaced 56 miles of cable, 50 transformers, 51 poles, replaced or reconnected 8,000 fuses, and 1,550 pole top cross arms. Damage to the infrastructure was estimated at 15 million dollars.||In Philadelphia, a 65-year-old man and a 66-year-old man died from heart attacks shoveling snow. Schools remained closed through the 12th. In Bucks County, the mid section (Middletown, Northampton, Yardley, Bristol, Upper and Lower Makefield) of the county was hardest hit by the power outages. There were 220 separate outages. Three shelters were opened. A tin and wood storage building in Middletown collapsed. In Montgomery County, the outages were centered around Lower Merion, Abington, Cheltenham, Upper and Lower Moreland, Upper Dublin and Ambler. In Pottstown, the roof of a modular building collapsed. Porches collapsed in Narberth and Royersford. In Springfield Township, an ice skating rink was evacuated after the roof's trusses started to pop. In Chester County, a storage building collapsed in West Chester, a Farmer's Market Building collapsed in Caln Township. ||In Berks County, two separate tractor-trailer jackknifes initiated the closure of Interstate 78. This also led to the chain reaction closing of Interstates 176, 76, 476 and 676 in southeastern Pennsylvania. About 200 motorists and 180 tractor-trailers were stranded for up to 12 hours on a five mile stretch of Interstate 78 as large drifts occurred. While most of the interstates were opened on the morning of the 11th, westbound I78 was not reopened until that afternoon. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in Berks County, 2,100 in Boyerstown and 900 in Reading. Power was restored on the 11th. Ironically in Spring Township, the roof of a commercial building collapsed and damaged twenty snow throwers. In Boyertown, the entire roof of a two story commercial building collapsed on East Philadelphia Avenue. In Lower Alsace Township, the roof of a two car garage collapsed. In Reading, the third floor of a large brick building on Buttonwood Street collapsed. Several canopies, awnings and overhangs also collapsed. In the Lehigh Valley, about 4,500 homes and businesses lost power in Bethlehem, Upper Saucon, Coopersburg, Easton and Bangor. A porch collapsed in Emmaus (Northampton County). ||Representative snowfall included 26.8 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 26.1 inches in South Coventry (Chester County), 23.3 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), 23.0 inches in Eagleville (Montgomery County), 21.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 20.0 inches in Reading (Berks County), Collegeville (Montgomery County) and Boothwyn (Delaware County), 19.5 inches in Rockledge (Philadelphia County), 19.3 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 19.0 inches in Nazareth (Northampton County), 18.0 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County) and Caln (Chester County), 17.8 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 17.5 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 17.1 inches in Bethlehem (Northampton County), 17.0 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), Blue Bell (Montgomery County) and Pine Valley (Philadelphia County), 16.5 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 16.1 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 15.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 15.6 inches in Easton (Northampton County), 15.1 inches in Schnecksville (Lehigh County), 15.0 inches in Emmaus (Lehigh County), 14.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County), 13.9 inches in Green Lane (Montgomery County), 11.0 inches in Langhorne (Bucks County) and 9.0 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County). ||Only 10 days into February and the 44.9 inches of snow that already fallen within the month at the Philadelphia International Airport established a new snowfall record for February. The seasonal total of 72.1 inches of snow to date already made it the snowiest season on record surpassing the previous record of 65.5 inches set in 1995-6.||Peak wind gusts included 46 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 41 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Doylestown (Bucks County), 37 mph at Willow Grove (Montgomery County) and the Philadelphia International Airport and 36 mph in Reading (Berks County).||The low pressure system responsible for the latest winter storm emerged from the Big Bend of Texas on the morning of the 8th. It moved northeast and reached the Tennessee Valley on the morning of the 9th. At 7 p.m. EST on the 9th, it was located near Charleston, South Carolina. It then moved northnortheast and was near Norfolk, Virginia at 1 a.m. EST on the 10th, Georgetown, Delaware at 7 a.m. EST on the 10th, Atlantic City, New Jersey at 10 a.m. EST on the 10th and just east of Seaside Heights, New Jersey at 4 p.m. EST on the 10th. The low pressure system then drifted slowly east the rest of the afternoon into the overnight of the 10th. The pass of the low pressure system into New Jersey permitted warmer air aloft and at the surface to make it into the local Philadelphia area during the first half of the day on the 10th, before the heavier snow and then the stronger winds returned. The heaviest snow occurred just to the north and west of this changeover in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs.

A major winter storm dropped 20 to 30 inches of snow from Philadelphia south in Eastern Pennsylvania, 10 to 20 inches across the northern Philadelphia suburbs, 6 to 12 inches across Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and less than 6 inches in the Poconos from the late afternoon of the 5th into the afternoon of the 6th. The 28.5 inches of snow that fell in Philadelphia became the second highest single snowfall event on history, only surpassed by the 30.7 inches of snow that fell during the Blizzard of January 1996.||Snow spread from south to north across Eastern Pennsylvania from late in the afternoon on the 5th into the middle of the evening of the 5th. The snow fell heavy at times during the first half of the day on the 6th across southeast Pennsylvania and Berks County. The snow ended during the morning of the 6th in the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the Poconos and during the afternoon of the 6th in southeast Pennsylvania. ||Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declared a statewide disaster emergency. Many county and municipalities declared their own snow emergencies. National Guard troops were deployed to assist the State Police. Many roads and highways in southeastern Pennsylvania were impassable. Speed limits were reduced on the Delaware River bridges. Amtrak canceled train service. The SEPTA regional rail and bus lines suspended service on the 6th in and around Philadelphia. Airlines canceled flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport on the 6th. They resumed on the 7th. Many businesses, stores and malls were closed on the 6th. Events were canceled or postponed. Philadelphia schools were closed on Monday the 8th. Where the snow was relatively lighter, numerous accidents and fender benders were reported in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley. In Berks County, several suspected heart attacks from shoveling snow occurred. A head-on collision in Cumru Township caused an injury. In West Lawn, a pedestrian was injured after he was struck by a vehicle and tossed from Westbound U.S. Route 422 onto Penn Avenue. The snow was relatively fluffy and caused very few power outages. PECO Energy reported only 200 homes and businesses lost power in Bucks and Montgomery Counties.||Representative snowfall included 29.5 inches in Folcroft and Newtown Square (Delaware County), 28.5 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 25.5 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 23.0 inches in New London (Chester County) and Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 22.0 inches in the Roxborough (Philadelphia County), 20.0 inches in Norristown (Montgomery County), 18.3 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 15.0 inches in Langhorne (Bucks County) and Gilbertsville (Montgomery County), 11.0 inches in Fleetwood (Berks County), 10.5 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County), 7.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 4.0 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County) and 1.0 inch in Pocono Summit (Monroe County).||The winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that moved west to east across northern Mexico and emerged in the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, Texas on the morning of the 4th. The low pressure system moved east and was located near New Orleans, Louisiana at 7 p.m. EST on the 4th and Mobile, Alabama at 7 a.m. EST on the 5th. The low pressure system then started to move northeast and was near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 p.m. EST on the 5th; Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 1 a.m. EST on the 6th; the Virginia coastal waters at 7 a.m. EST on the 6th and then drifted slowly east off the lower Delmarva Peninsula the rest of the day on the 6th. The storm track was perfect for heavy snow in southeastern Pennsylvania, but became less favorable (too far southeast) for places farther to the north.

Strong to high southeasterly winds affected Eastern Pennsylvania during the morning of the 25th. Peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph, except in Philadelphia and Berks Counties where they averaged around 60 mph. The strong winds caused numerous power outages as the combination of the rain and wind helped knock down weak trees, tree limbs and power lines. About 74,000 homes and businesses lost power.||PECO Energy reported about 65,000 homes and businesses lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania including 12,000 in Delaware County (centered around Concord and Middletown) and 10,000 in Bucks County (centered around the Makefields). In Bucks County, a shed was blown off its foundation in Bristol Township. In Delaware County, a pine tree damaged the roof of one home in Drexel Hill. In Philadelphia, a truck was overturned by the wind on the Walt Whitman Bridge. The eastbound lanes were closed between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST. Across the Delaware River, trucks were restricted from crossing the Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry Bridges. In Berks County, about 9,000 homes and businesses lost power. One of the greatest concentrations was in Wyomissing. All power was restored by the 26th.||Peak wind gusts included 62 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 60 mph in Vinemont (Berks County), 51 mph in Reading (Berks County), 48 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 46 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 44 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 41 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County).||The strong to high winds were caused by a tight surface pressure gradient (difference) between a low pressure system that was moving north just to the east of the central Appalachians and a high pressure system over the western Atlantic Ocean. The strong southerly flow started to mix down to the surface after the low pressure system���s warm front moved north of the state. The winds subsided during the afternoon as the low pressure system���s cold front approached the area and the area of strong winds between 3000 feet and 5000 feet moved away from Eastern Pennsylvania.

Strong and gusty west to northwest winds occurred for nearly twenty-four hours across Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening of the 2nd through the afternoon of the 3rd. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph, except over the higher terrain of the Poconos where they nearly reached 60 mph. The strong winds downed weak trees, tree limbs and power lines and resulted in widely scattered power outages. In the Poconos, about 1,000 homes and businesses lost power. The strong to high winds also caused drifting snow and resulted in slippery travel and accidents. About 1,000 PECO Energy customers in the local Philadelphia area also lost power.||Peak wind gusts included 59 mph at Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 49 mph in West Grove (Chester County) and 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Reading (Berks County).||The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intense low pressure system that retrograded from the Nova Scotia coastal waters to the Gulf of Maine on the 2nd and 3rd and a strong high pressure system located over the northern plains. The strongest winds occurred as the low pressure system continued its retrogression west through Nova Scotia on the evening of the 2nd and persisted until the low started to weaken and move to the east again, on the 3rd.

Strong northwest winds occurred on the 29th after a cold front moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the early morning hours. Winds decreased during the second half of the afternoon after a high pressure system from the Midwest moved closer to the region. Peak wind gusts occurred during the morning, averaged 45 to 50 mph and knocked down some weak trees, tree limbs and wires and caused scattered outages. PECO Eneregy reported power outages to 11,000 of its customers mainly in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. In Bucks County, in Doylestown, a 250-year-old Black Walnut Tree crashed into a hair salon and broke a window and damaged its roof. In Bensalem Township, a downed tree damaged four vehicles as well as the roof and a window of one home. In Berks County, Pennsylvania State Route 10 was closed in Cumru Township because of a downed tree. ||Peak wind gusts included 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 49 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Willow Grove (Montgomery County) and 44 mph in Coatesville (Chester County).

A major winter storm affected central and southeast Pennsylvania on the 19th and 20th. A lighter accumulating snow affected the Poconos. Snowfall averaged around 3 inches in the Poconos, 6 inches in the Lehigh Valley, 6 to 12 inches in Berks, Bucks and Upper Montgomery Counties and 12 to 23 inches in and around the rest of the local Philadelphia area. The 23.2 inches of snow that fell at Philadelphia International Airport was the second heaviest single event snowfall on record and the heaviest ever for the month of December.||Snow began around 1 a.m. EST on the 19th around the Philadelphia area, but took about twelve hours for it to reach the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. The snow fell at its heaviest between 10 a.m. EST and 10 p.m. EST with the most bands of heavy snow across extreme southeast Pennsylvania. The snow ended around 1 a.m. EST in Berks County, but did end until around 8 a.m. EST farther east along the Delaware River. ||A 51-year-old man died of a stroke while he was shoveling the snow in Havertown (Delaware County). A snowmobiling accident claimed the life of a 28-year-old man and injured a 23-year-old woman in Quakertown (Bucks County). About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power during the storm. About seventy percent of flights were cancelled on the 19th at Philadelphia International Airport. Those that were not, had delays up to six hours. Flight delays continued into the 21st. The Philadelphia Eagles' home game on the 20th was pushed back to 4 p.m. EST so the stadium could be cleared of the snow. The winter storm postponed many planned local and high school sporting events. It came at an inopportune time for retailers as the Saturday (the 19th) before Christmas is usually one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Many malls around the local Philadelphia area closed early. Many municipalities in the southeast part of the state declared states of emergency. Since this storm occurred on the weekend, the number of traffic accidents was down. But, U.S. Route 209 in Brodheadsville in Monroe County was closed because of an accident. AAA Mid Atlantic said that the volume of calls for a Saturday was 64 percent higher than normal; many were stranded motorists. Many school districts either closed schools or had two hour delayed openings on the 21st. Some churches cancelled services on the 20th. Trash pick-ups were also delayed. ||Representative snowfall included 23.2 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 19.0 inches in Folcroft (Delaware County), 16.5 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 16.3 inches in Exton (Chester County), 16.0 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 15.0 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 13.3 inches in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 12.5 inches in Bensalem (Bucks County), 10.5 inches in the Somerton section of Philadelphia, 9.6 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 8.3 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 7.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), 6.0 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 5.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 5.1 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 5.0 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County)||The nor'easter responsible for the winter storm formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the morning of the 17th. It moved northeast along the northern Gulf of Mexico and was just south of Mobile, Alabama at sunrise on the 18th. From there it moved northeast and continued to intensify and reached Savannah, Georgia around 7 p.m. EST on the 18th, near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 19th. It continued to move northeast on the 19th and into the 20th and by sunrise on the 20th was located about 400 miles east of Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

Gusty west to northwest winds occurred across Eastern Pennsylvania from the middle of the morning into the early evening on the 7th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and knocked down some weak trees, tree limbs and wires. Power outages were reported in the Poconos in Palmerton (Carbon County) and Tobyhanna (Monroe County). Downed trees were reported in Lehigh County in Allentown, Alburtis and Slatington. In Delaware County in Newtown Square, a downed wire started a small fire. ||Peak wind gusts included 52 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 47 mph in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 46 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 45 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Coatesville (Chester County), 44 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 43 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). | |The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between a low pressure system (around 990 millibars) that was moving northeast through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system moving from the Central Plains toward the area. As the high pressure system moved closer, winds diminished during the evening of the 7th.

The combination of the heavy rain, peak wind gusts of around 45 mph and leaves still on trees, knocked down some weaker trees and tree limbs during the first half of the day on the 11th across southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO Energy reported about 41,000 of its customers lost power in its service area. The peak wind gust at the Philadelphia International Airport was 48 mph.

A warm front that moved northeast in the morning and a cold front that arrived from the west late in the day on the 2nd resulted in strong to severe thunderstorms across southeastern Pennsylvania during the late morning. PECO Energy reported about 54,000 of its southeastern Pennsylvania customers lost power due to the lightning and damaging winds.

A very slow moving and intense low pressure system was responsible for strong northwest winds across Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening of the 3rd through the early evening of the 4th. Strong winds persisted through the night of the 4th in the Poconos. Most of the peak wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph. | |In Pottstown (Montgomery County), the roof of a home at the intersection of King and Hanover Streets was damaged. The northwest corner of it was partially torn off. In Northampton County, about 1,500 homes and businesses lost power. Half of the outages occurred after a pole snapped in Bangor.||Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Reading (Berks County), 50 mph in Walnutport (Northampton County), 48 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, West Grove (Chester County) and Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 46 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Doylestown (Bucks County).||The strong northwest winds began after a cold front moved through the state during the evening on the 3rd. It persisted through the early evening of the 4th until the low pressure system associated with that front moved farther northeast up the Saint Lawrence River Valley and started to weaken.

Snow fell across Eastern Pennsylvania from the evening of the 1st into the evening of the 2nd. Snowfall averaged four to eight inches across the region, with some locally higher amounts around Philadelphia. Many snow emergencies were declared. The combination of strong winds and heavy snow made travel difficult and made it tough for road crews to keep thoroughfares opened. Numerous accidents occurred and major interstates were snarled. There were many fender benders, spin-outs and slides into other vehicles. The Mid-Atlantic AAA responded to 2,600 calls for assistance throughout their region. Most schools were closed on Monday March 2nd. Some universities and colleges in and around Philadelphia also cancelled classes. Many meetings and sporting events were postponed on the 2nd.||Snow began across the local Philadelphia area during the early evening of the 1st and spread north through the Poconos shortly after midnight EST on the 2nd. The heaviest snow associated with the nor'easter occurred farther to the east. Snow ended during the late afternoon, except during the evening in the Poconos. ||The worst reported accidents occurred along Interstate 78 in Berks County on the 2nd. On Westbound Interstate 78 about 8 a.m. EST, a one vehicle accident closed one lane for about 45 minutes. At about 9 a.m. EST, on eastbound Interstate 78, two vehicles collided and one person was injured. Within the hour another seven multi-vehicle accident near exit 35 (Lenhartsville) occurred. A 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman were injured. A vehicle that stopped before the crash was rear ended twice. A thirteen mile stretch of the eastbound interstate was closed from Shartlesville to Krumsville until 420 p.m. EST. The eastbound closures for a little while extended to Pennsylvania State Route 100 in Lehigh County. Farther to the west at 1030 a.m. EST, two tractor trailers collided on eastbound Interstate 78 and forced the closure from exits 19 (near Strausstown) to 23 (Shartlesville). Around Noon EST, two separate four vehicle collisions occurred on westbound Interstate 78. A tractor-trailer that stopped before one accident was struck by another vehicle and the driver was injured. The westbound side of the interstate was closed until 845 p.m. EST from exit 40 (Krumsville) to exit 23 (Shartlesville). Elsewhere in Berks County, many accidents were reported in Jefferson, Richmond and Wyomissing. In Reading, the West Shore Bypass (U.S. Route 422) was slowed to a crawl after a serious accident. | |In and around the local Philadelphia area, SEPTA reported day long 15 minute delays on their commuter rail lines. Amtrak had to cancel or cut back on a dozen Northeast Corridor trains. PennDot reported more than 50 vehicles became stuck on the interstates in and around the city. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on the Schuylkill Expressway near Gladwyne (Montgomery County) forcing the closure of the westbound lanes for about an hour on the morning of the 2nd. About 245 flights were cancelled at Philadelphia International Airport. In Bucks County, a police officer was injured in a traffic accident in Bensalem. In Delaware County, traffic accidents caused about 3,000 homes and businesses to lose power. ||In the Lehigh Valley, a serious accident that resulted in an injury occurred in Wilson Borough (Northampton County). In the Poconos, two tractor-trailers collided on Interstate 80 westbound in Carbon County. Two injuries occurred and the interstate was closed. In Monroe County, accidents were reported in Lehman, Jackson, Long Pond, East Stroudsburg and Hamilton. In Jackson Township, a woman injured her hand after her vehicle skidded off the road and into a tree. ||Snowfall totals included 9.5 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 9.0 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 8.4 inches in Coatesville (Chester County), 8.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 8.0 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), Villanova (Delaware County) and Royersford (Montgomery County), 7.5 inches in Morgantown (Berks County), 7.0 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County) and the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, 6.7 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 6.3 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 6.0 inches in Exton (Chester County) and Boothwyn (Delaware County), 5.5 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Emmaus (Lehigh County), 5.0 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 4.2 inches in Reading (Berks County), 4.1 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 4.0 inches at Delaware Water Gap (Monroe County) and Tatamy and Forks Township(Northampton County).||The winter storm was caused by a nor'easter that moved east of the region. The nor'easter low pressure system moved from the Georgia and South Carolina border at 7 a.m. EST on the 1st to about 150 miles east of the Atlantic City coast at 7 a.m. EST on the 2nd. It was passing through the Canadian Maritimes during the morning of the 3rd. Heavy snow bands associated with the gravity wave occurred during the pre-dawn hours on the 2nd when most of the heaviest snow fell.

Strong to high winds affected Eastern Pennsylvania during the day on the 12th. The strong winds started shortly after a cold frontal passage between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. EST and persisted through most of the day. Peak wind gusts averaged between 50 and 65 mph and knocked down numerous tree limbs, weak trees and power lines. Several roofs were torn away and billboards knocked down. Numerous vehicles were damaged by downed trees. Throughout the state of Pennsylvania about 250,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not fully restored in Eastern Pennsylvania until the 14th. In Eastern Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley, Berks County and the northwest Philadelphia suburbs reported the most wind damage. ||In the Lehigh Valley, about 19,000 homes and businesses lost power including Westgate Mall in Bethlehem. In Lehigh County, the roof was blown off a garage in Allentown. A billboard was bent along U.S. Route 22 in Whitehall Township. Pennsylvania State Route 309 was closed because of downed trees. Many trees and limbs were knocked down along a five mile stretch of the Ironton Rail in Whitehall, North Whitehall and Coplay. In Northampton County, downed power lines caused a fire that totally destroyed a century old barn in Forks Township. Forty firefighters were able to contain the blaze from reaching other structures, although the heat caused the siding to melt at a nearby garage. A tree fell on and damaged a home in Bethlehem. An eighteen foot pillar was blown off the First Moravian Church in Easton. In Northampton Borough, the roof blew off a building at 14th Street and Newport Avenue. At least six roadways were closed in the county including Pennsylvania State Route 611 in Upper Mount Bethel. ||In the local Philadelphia area, PECO Energy reported about 85,000 homes and businesses lost power with Bucks and Delaware Counties suffering the most outages. All power was restored by the 13th. In Montgomery County, in Pottstown, the wind blew off the western facing portion of the roof off the four story building in the former Mrs. Smith Pies complex. The roof landed in a parking lot. A nearby family was evacuated until the roof was secured. The wind also started pealing away a roof of a home on Lincoln Avenue. Elsewhere a northbound tractor trailer was blown over on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike just beyond the Blue Route Tolls. In Stowe (West Pottsgrove Township), the wind start to peel back the roof of the West End Fire Company. In Norristown, another home's roof was partially blown off and it took down a pole and wires. Signs were also blown down. In Lower Merion Township, a downed tree trapped a woman within her vehicle for over an hour. Another downed wire led to a raging garage fire which totally destroyed the structure. Numerous trees were reported knocked down in both Upper and Lower Gwynedd Townships. Within Philadelphia itself, the high winds ripped part of a portable classroom's roof away. It forced forty kindergarten students to evacuate; none were injured. A metal light post snapped at the corner of Broad and Callowhill Streets. In Delaware County, in Lansdowne, a downed tree crushed part of one house and a neighbor house's roof. In Media, a couple of cars and fences were damaged by downed trees. In Chester County, downed trees fell on and damaged vehicles in Birmingham and East Coventry. ||In Berks County, a tractor-trailer was blown off the westbound Pennsylvania Turnpike. The driver was not injured. In Mount Penn, about fifty tiles were blown off the five story Pagoda building. In Upper Bern Township (Shartlesville) the section of a tin roof in the rear of a hotel was peeled off. In Oley Township, roof damage occurred to homes under construction in the Meadow View Farms Development. Two homes were damaged by the winds in South Heidelberg Township. In Reading, a billboard was knocked down along the West Shore Bypass. Pennsylvania State Route 724 was closed for one hour because of downed trees in Cumru Township. About 5,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was fully restored by the 13th. In the southern Poconos, about 5,500 homes and businesses lost power, but no home or business damage were reported.||Peak wind gusts included 64 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County) and within the city of Philadelphia, 56 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 55 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 54 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 53 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), 52 mph in Reading (Berks County) and West Grove (Chester County) and 51 mph in Drexel Hill (Delaware County).| |The strong and high winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that moved through the lower Saint Lawrence River Valley, northern New England and the Canadian Maritimes and an approaching high pressure system from the lower Mississippi Valley. The winds increased after a cold front moved through the state between 3 a.m. EST and 5 a.m. EST on the morning of the 12th and slowly subsided that night.

An area of high pressure moved across the region during the 6th. This allowed colder and much drier air to settle southward into the Middle Atlantic region. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure organized across the Tennessee Valley during the morning of the 6th and tracked northward to the northern Ohio Valley during the evening of the 6th. An abundance of moisture surged well ahead of this storm. Some areas experienced some sleet and snow to start as the precipitation intensity was rather light. As the precipitation intensified and increased in areal coverage, freezing rain, sleet, rain and even some snow occurred. However, freezing rain and rain were the dominant precipitation type. Significant icing occured across northeastern Pennsylvania, with even icing reported in the southeastern part of the state. In Philadelphia, freezing rain occurred late in the afternoon on the 6th and continued for awhile in the evening before changing to plain rain. This resulted in a light coating of ice. The main low pressure system then tracked to the north on the 7th, as a secondary low pressure center formed just south of Long Island. The two systems produced plenty of rain across the area, although freezing rain held on across mainly northeastern Pennsylvania through most of the 7th. The higher terrain struggled to get to freezing on the 7th. An associated cold front finally moved through the region during the evening of the 7th, which brought drier air into the area.||In Tilden Township (Berks County), icy conditions proved to be too much for a municipal truck as it crashed and went over an embankment while spreading salt on Hill Road during the 6th. The driver was not injured. Several minor accidents were reported around Berks County on the 6th as a result of the ice. Most schools delayed the start of classes by two hours because of the storm. Six school districts in the northern portions of Berks County cancelled classes for the 7th. Accumulated ice brought down utility wires onto Route 568 in Robeson Township around 6 AM EST on the 7th. The road was closed between White Bear Road and Ridgeway Road for about an hour. Only scattered power outages were reported by PPL Electric and Met-Ed. Icy roads during the evening of the 6th contributed to an accident where a pickup truck lost control on Route 737 in Greenwich Township and struck a pole. No injuries resulted from the crash.||The storm system brought around a half an inch of ice on everything during the night of the 6th and the morning of the 7th. This contributed to numerous school closings and slick driving conditions in many municipalities of Carbon and Monroe Counties. It was reported that road conditions deteriorated quickly after freezing rain moved in around 4:30 PM EST on the 6th. It was reported that Weatherly Borough issued a snow ban the morning of the 6th. All schools in Carbon, Northampton, Lehigh and Monroe counties were closed on the 7th due to the weather conditions. The icing contributed to accidents, a fallen tree and minimal power outages throughout Carbon County. A tree reportedly fell in Andreas, in the area of the post office and the Carbon County line. Most roads in Carbon County during the night of the 6th and the morning of the 7th were slick in spots but passable. Many parking lots and sidewalks however were covered with a sheet of ice. The icy roadways caused numerous accidents during the morning of the 7th. An ice accumulation brought down a tree branch onto a power line on the 6th and 7th behind the 200 block of West White Street in Summit Hill. The power line blocked an alley way for several days until the line was repaired. In the Saylorsburg area (Monroe County), large tree limbs were reported down due to ice accumulations of up to one half of an inch. This also resulted in power outages.||Some school districts in Lehigh County had an early dismissal early on the 6th in anticipation of the winter storm. Students across Lehigh County began their day on the 7th with a two-hour delay. However, after a slow melting of the ice, especially on back roads and sidewalks, the districts decided to be cautious and cancelled school for the day. PPL Electric reported a total of 22 customers in Mahoning Township and two customers in Penn Forest Township were without power on the morning of the 7th. Freezing rain produced icy road conditions in Northampton County on the 6th and was blamed for a car crash in Northampton, along Seemsville Road at about 7:40 PM EST. The vehicle slid off to the west side of the road and struck a utility pole. The driver was uninjured. Nearly every school in the area was closed on the 7th due to a concern about icy back roads and sidewalks. In Bushkill Township, it was reported to be socked in with ice.||Some specific ice amounts include; 0.50 inches in East Nantmeal Township (Chester County), 0.50 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 0.40 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County), 0.40 inches in Berlinsville and Easton (Northampton County), 0.40 inches in Saylorsburg and Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 0.40 inches in Christmansville (Carbon County), 0.30 inches in Chester Springs (Chester COunty), 0.25 inches in West Rockhill (Bucks County), 0.20 inches in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County, also 0.5 inches of sleet), 0.20 inches in Coatesville (Chester County), 0.20 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 0.20 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport (Lehigh County), and 0.15 inches in Willow Grove (Montgomery County).

Strong to high winds buffeted Eastern Pennsylvania mainly during the afternoon of the 31st. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were knocked down. Hardest hit by the wind were Berks and Chester Counties. In Berks County, about 9,500 homes and businesses in sixteen different municipalities lost power. Hardest hit were the Laureldale area (most outages) and Cumru and Robeson Townships. The latter were the last two townships to have power restored as late as January 1st. In Cumru Township utility poles and trees were knocked down along Pennsylvania State Route 724. The road was closed until January 1st. PECO Energy reported that half of their wind related outages in their service area occurred in Chester County. In all about 20,000 PECO Energy customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania. Downed trees forced a road closure in Kennett Township (Chester County). In the Lehigh Valley, about 1,800 homes and business lost power in Pennsylvania Power and Light's service area. Most of the outages were in North Whitehall Township (Lehigh County). A vehicle was damaged by a downed tree within Allentown (Lehigh County).||Peak wind gusts included 51 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Reading (Berks County), 50 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), 48 mph in Glenmoore (Chester County), 47 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 45 mph in Willow Grove (Montgomery County). ||The high winds were caused by the large pressure difference between a rapidly intensifying Alberta Clipper type low pressure system moving through New England and a strong high pressure system approaching from the upper Mississippi Valley.

Gusty northwest winds that reached around 50 mph occurred during the afternoon across Eastern Pennsylvania. The combination of the wind, leaves still on the trees, heavy wet snow in the Poconos and parts of the Philadelphia northwest suburbs caused numerous power outages. Even in areas that did not have snow, power outages occurred.||Pennsylvania Power and Light whose service area includes the Poconos reported outages to 80,000 of its customers. Power was not fully restored until the 30th. Several roads in the Poconos were blocked because of downed trees and an emergency shelter was opened in Coolbaugh Township (Monroe County). In Berks County, about 4,300 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not restored until the morning of the 29th. Power outages were reported in Womelsdorf, Sinking Spring, Wyomissing, Caernarvon, Heidelberg, Longswamp and Spring Townships. In Womelsdorf, a downed tree fell into a home. A two foot diameter tree took down power lines. Pennsylvania State Route 419 was closed for three hours. ||In the Lehigh Valley, the strong winds toppled a favorite evergreen tree near the borough hall in Hellertown (Northampton County). A linden tree also crushed a bench. In the Philadelphia northwest suburbs, Bucks County (about 10,000) took the brunt of the power outages because of the combination of wind and snow on trees that still had leaves. Outages were reported in Warminster, Northampton, Bristol, Langhorne and Middletown Townships. In Chester County, a large tree was blown across Charlestown Road in Phoenixville. Bus routes were changed because of the downed trees. In Philadelphia, part of Temple University closed because of power outages.||Peak wind gusts included 54 mph in Reading (Berks County), 51 mph in Coatesville (Chester County), 50 mph in West Grove (Chester County), 48 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 44 mph in Wings Field (Montgomery County), 43 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Northeast Philadelphia Airport and Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 40 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport. The peak wind gusts occurred during the late afternoon on the 28th as the pressure gradient (difference) tightened quickly between the departing and intensifying low pressure system moving into New England and a high pressure system moving east from the central United States. ||A low pressure system developed on the stalled front over North Carolina on the afternoon of the 27th. It slowly moved northeast and intensified rapidly. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 28th it was just off the New Jersey Coast and had a central pressure of 1003 millibars. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 28th, the low pressure system was approaching central Long Island, New York and the pressure lowered to 995 millibars. It proceeded to move northeast and was a 989 millibar low pressure system near Hartford, Connecticut at 2 p.m. EDT on the 28th and a 986 millibar low pressure system along the northern Vermont and New Hampshire border at 8 p.m. EDT on the 28th. By evening this low pressure system was far enough away that winds decreased.

Tropical Storm Hanna brought heavy rain throughout eastern Pennsylvania and strong winds in southeastern Pennsylvania as well as some minor tidal flooding along the lower Delaware River on the 6th. Rain moved into the region during the second half of the morning, fell heavy at times during the afternoon and early evening and ended by the late evening. Rain began during the second half of the morning of the 6th and fell at its heaviest during the afternoon and early evening. The rain ended by late that evening. Storm totals averaged from around 2 inches to around 4 inches. The lightest amounts were in the Poconos, the heaviest in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs. The strongest winds occurred during the afternoon and early evening. While peak wind gusts were only around 40 mph, the duration of the wind combining with the heavy rain caused weak trees and tree limbs to fall down in the southeastern part of the state. About 50,000 homes and businesses lost power. Most power was restored by the evening of the 7th. Minor tidal flooding occurred during the early evening high tide as a storm surge of around two feet moved up tidal sections of the Delaware River. Many scheduled sporting events and other outdoor activities were either cancelled or postponed. About 50 flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled.||Southeastern Pennsylvania took the brunt of the power outages as about 43,000 homes and businesses lost power in PECO Energy's service area in and around Philadelphia. In Bucks County, about 14,000 homes and businesses lost power with most outages reported in Yardley, Bensalem, Northampton, Doylestown, Middletown and Lower Makefield. In Chester County, about 5,700 homes and businesses lost power, most in heavily wooded areas. One westbound lane of U.S. Route 422 was closed in North Coventry Township because of a downed tree. In Berks County, two homes were damaged by fallen trees: one on Hampden Boulevard in Reading and the other when a 100 foot sumac tree fell on it on South Park Road in Wyomissing. Mineral Springs Road in Reading was closed because of downed trees into the night of the 7th. About 3,200 homes and businesses also lost power in the Lehigh Valley. ||Peak wind gusts included 39 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and in Doylestown (Bucks County). The high tide in Philadelphia peaked at 8.40 feet above mean lower low water at 726 p.m. EDT on the 6th. Minor tidal flooding starts at 8.2 feet above mean lower low water. ||Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall at about 320 a.m. EDT on September 6th near the border of North and South Carolina. The tropical storm proceeded to move northeast. At 8 a.m. EDT, Hanna was near Goldsboro, North Carolina; at 11 a.m. EDT just southeast of Emporia, Virginia; at 2 p.m. EDT near Williamsburg, Virginia, at 5 p.m. EDT in Dorchester County, Maryland. Hanna then cut across northwest Sussex County in Delaware and entered Delaware Bay and made landfall in New Jersey close to 7 p.m. EDT in eastern Cumberland County. At 8 p.m. EDT Hanna was located in northern Atlantic County, New Jersey and exited the state near Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. At 11 p.m. EDT, Hanna was about to make landfall in western Suffolk County in New York State. Hanna continued to move northeast through eastern Long Island and New England overnight on the 6th.

A strong cold frontal passage triggered severe thunderstorms across Eastern Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 27th. The combination of lightning and damaging winds caused about 62,000 homes and businesses to lose power. Most of the outages (about 49,000) were in PECO Energy's service area in southeast Pennsylvania.

An approaching cold front that ended a week long heat wave also triggered severe thunderstorms across eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and early evening on the 23rd. The majority of the wind and lightning damage occurred in southeastern Pennsylvania where PECO Energy reported about 35,000 homes and businesses lost power. A power outage caused significant delays and over a one hour shut down (from 430 p.m. EDT through 545 p.m. EDT) of Amtrak train service between Philadelphia and Boston. Five SEPTA Regional Rail Lines were also affected by the outage.

An unseasonably hot and humid air mass led to severe thunderstorms occurring across Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and evening of the 10th. Wind damage was reported in nearly every county in Eastern Pennsylvania. About 185,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not fully restored until the night of the 12th.

The most oppressive heat wave of the meteorological summer affected Eastern Pennsylvania from June 7th through the 10th. There were about twenty heat related deaths, eighteen within Philadelphia. There were also a couple of drownings within rivers. The combination of high temperatures well into the 90s and dew point temperatures in the 70s produced apparent temperatures or heat indices values as high as around 105 in Philadelphia and 100 to 105 elsewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania. Most of the highest temperatures occurred on the 10th, except in the Poconos where the highest temperatures occurred on the 9th. The highest apparent temperatures occurred on both the 7th and the 10th. ||The excessive heat also caused many heat related injuries across the state. Many cooling centers were opened to assist senior citizens. The heat also caused a few roadways to buckle. Schools were still in session. Many that did not have air conditioning dismissed children early on the 9th and 10th. A couple of schools cancelled classes. Some after school activities were cancelled outright; others were shifted to air conditioned locations. The excessive heat caused some scattered and mainly localized power outages. There was about a twenty-five percent increase in vehicle distress calls. There was also a surge in purchases of air conditioners and pools. Some air conditioners were stolen from stores. Some public pools opened earlier than scheduled. Others took to creeks around the region, including the Brandywine, Bushkill, Monocacy and Wissahickon to seek relief.||In Philadelphia, there were eighteen heat related deaths. All but one occurred in homes with no air conditioners available or on and many with windows closed. The heat wave also coincided with the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling. The heatline run by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging was open. Caller volume was described as heavy as they counsel callers about precautions and ways to detect signs of heat stress. Meals on Wheels handed heat tip sheets. In addition to the heat related deaths, a 38-year-old man collapsed outdoors. Power outages occurred on Gordon Street.||In Delaware County, a fourteen month old boy died after he was left in the backseat of a vehicle for about five hours in Marple Township on the 8th in the Lawrence Park Shopping Center. Also on the 8th, residents from the second floor of the Haverford Nursing and Rehabilitation Center were evacuated after the air conditioning failed. Several residents had to be hospitalized. Air conditioned senior citizen centers throughout the county had extended hours. In Haverford Township, the heat buckled a storm drain.||In Montgomery County, a 65-year-old man died in Pottstown from the heat on the 10th. The county issued a Code Red Hot Weather Health Warning. In Chester County, hospitals noted about a 20 percent increase in patient volume; most were with cardiac problems. Bucks County opened three air conditioned senior citizen centers. ||In Berks County, several people sought treatment from heat related problems at the Reading Hospital and Saint Joe Medical Center. |In the Lehigh Valley, a drowned man was found under the Hokendauqua Bridge in Whitehall Township (Lehigh Township). Metropolitan Edison set a new usage record on the 9th: 3,005 megawatts. The old record was 2,996 megawatts on August 2nd 2006. The 9th was declared an Ozone Action Day in the Lehigh Valley. Lehigh and Northampton Transportation offered free bus rides. In Forks Township (Northampton County), one person hurt his head near the Bushkill Falls Spillway.||In the Poconos, even some schools in Monroe County dismissed children early. A man in his 30s drowned in the Lehigh Gorge in Carbon County. In Parryville (Carbon County), the Eastern Comfort Living assisted living facility was evacuated after the air conditioning failed and indoor temperatures reached the mid 90s on the 8th. Forty-seven people were evacuated, a few were hospitalized with hate related illnesses. | |Highest temperatures included 99 degrees at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport, 97 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and West Chester (Chester County), 96 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Hamburg (Berks County), Valley Forge (Chester County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 95 degrees in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 94 degrees in Springtown (Bucks County), 93 degrees in Lehighton (Carbon County)and 89 degrees in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). ||The heat wave helped June 2008 to be one of the warmest Junes on record at a number of places in Eastern Pennsylvania. At the Philadelphia International Airport, the June monthly mean temperature of 76.4 degrees (4.1 degrees warmer than normal) was the fourth warmest June on record. In Reading, the June monthly mean temperature of 74.1 degrees (4.0 degrees warmer than normal) was the 7th warmest June on record. In Mount Pocono, the June monthly mean temperature of 65.6 degrees (3.6 degrees warmer than normal) was the tenth warmest June on record. While it did not crack the top ten, the June monthly mean temperature of 71.7 degrees was 3.2 degrees warmer than normal.

A potent low pressure system in the Ohio Valley during the early morning hours of May 11th moved eastward and gradually weakened. A secondary low formed over northeastern North Carolina during the late afternoon on the 11th and eventually absorbed the other low pressure system, becoming the dominant storm. This storm gradually moved east northeastward late on the 11th into the 12th. Early on the morning of the 12th, the storm was centered over the southern Delmarva. As this storm strengthened fairly rapidly, a gusty northeast wind developed and persisted through a portion of the 12th. The prolonged northeast flow combined with higher than normal tides, which caused some minor tidal flooding in Southeastern Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. There was limited moisture inland from the center of the storm. By the evening of the 12th, the coastal storm tracked eastward and gradually moved away from the region.||Due to the high winds on the 12th, tractor-trailers were temporarily banned from the Commodore Barry Bridge between Chester, Pennsylvania and Bridgeport, New Jersey. Trees were reported down across Delaware County, including Franklin Avenue in Ridley Township and Chestnut Street in Collingdale. In Aston (Delaware County), an 85-foot tree was reportedly knocked down on Gordonville Road, which blocked six properties. A huge tree limb fell onto a vehicle in Hinckley Avenue in Ridley Park and on a vehicle in the parking lot of Woodstream Condominiums on South Avenue in Ridley Township.||The Federal Aviation Administration reported that arrival flights at the Philadelphia International Airport were delayed on the 12th on average of three hours because of wind and rain. More than 130 flights were either cancelled or delayed on the 12th because of the storm.|Peco Energy reported about 50,000 customers lost power during the Nor���easter on the 12th, with most of the outages in Chester and Delaware Counties, however some outages were also reported in Montgomery County. The cause was wind gusts to around 45 mph, which brought tree limbs down onto electrical lines. By 5:00 PM EDT on the 12th, all but 6,000 customers had their service restored. ||Strong winds coupled with heavy rain knocked down a large tree at Church Street and Oakland Avenue in Doylestown (Bucks County) on the 12th. Strong winds and rainfall caused a tree to fall on the 12th in Bryn Mawr (Montgomery County), which landed on a car and crushed its roof at around 10:00 AM EDT. The driver of the vehicle was not seriously injured. In Franconia (Montgomery County), a tree with exposed roots leaned on a swing set in a backyard during the morning of the 12th, as gusty winds and a wet ground were too much for it. In Whitpain (Montgomery County), downed trees closed three roads during the morning of the 12th. At 5:23 AM EDT, police responded to a fallen tree on School Road, which was closed between Route 73 and Boehms Church Road. Morris Road was shut down between Mt. Pleasant Avenue and Betsy Lane for more than four hours. Around 11:00 AM EDT on the 12th, Stenton Road was closed near the intersection of Norristown Road while a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crew removed a fallen tree. In Skippack (Montgomery County), state troppers closed a portion of Hutnut Road, near the intersection of Skippack Pike, after a downed tree caused a power outage. ||The tide gage at Philadephia peaked at 8.9 feet mean lower low water at 8:00 AM EDT on the 12th. Minor tidal flooding begins at 8.2 feet mean lower low water, and moderate tidal flooding begins at 9.2 feet mean lower low water. Some peak wind gusts included: 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport; and 47 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

A line of severe thunderstorms that accompanied a cold frontal passage produced wind damage across Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and early evening of the 8th. The combination of the severe storms and the strong winds which followed caused about 170,000 homes and businesses to lose power. Power was not fully resored until the night of the 10th.

Strong to damaging wind gusts affected eastern Pennsylvania during the evening and overnight on the 8th after a line of severe thunderstorms passed through eastern sections of the state. The strong to high winds caused the PATCO high speed line to suspend commuter service for two hours between Philadelphia and Camden County, New Jersey. The combination of the severe storms and the strong winds which followed caused about 170,000 homes and businesses to lose power. Power was not fully restored until the night of the 10th. A utility worker died while trying to restore power in Bucks County.||In Delaware County, about 24,000 homes and businesses lost power. Some roads were still closed on the 10th because of downed trees. Brookhaven and Haverford were among the last municipalities to have power restored. In Bucks County, a 43-year-old male utility worker died while trying to restore power in Riegelsville. About 24,000 residents lost power and 3,000 in the lower part of the county still did not have power on the morning of the 10th. The county 9-1-1 center responded to 1,800 calls between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST on the 8th, four times the average rate. ||In Berks County, 30,000 homes and business lost power in 248 different locations. The County 9-1-1 center responded to 825 calls between 5 p.m. and 730 p.m. EST. The high wind ripped the roof off an abandoned home in Reading. In Amity Township, a trailer was blown off its foundation. A downed tree damaged a home in Ontelaunee Township. Sinking Spring was among the last areas to have power restored. In Lehigh County, two warming centers were opened because of the power outages. The strong winds complicated firefighter efforts to extinguish a deadly residential fire near the former Bethlehem Steel Plant. The fire destroyed three homes and killed four people.||The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure gradient or difference between the departing low pressure system that was moving into New England and a high pressure system approaching from the southwestern Gulf Coast states.

A wintry mix of precipitation including some heavy snow fell across Eastern Pennsylvania on the 22nd. The heaviest snow occurred near the New Jersey border. Precipitation started as snow throughout the area around or just after Midnight EST on the 22nd. As warmer air moved in aloft, precipitation changed quickly to sleet and freezing rain during the morning in and around Philadelphia, around Noon EST in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the far northern Philadelphia suburbs and during the late afternoon and early evening in the Poconos. Precipitation changed to plain rain in and around the local Philadelphia area during the afternoon of the 22nd, but remained intermittent light freezing rain elsewhere until the event ended during the evening of the 22nd. Snow and sleet accumulations averaged 3 to 6 inches. Ice accretions were generally around one-tenth of an inch.||The wintry precipitation caused many traveling problems around the region. In and around the Philadelphia area many suburban schools were closed for the day. In Philadelphia, the Philadelphia International Airport experienced delays of up to four hours. Peco Energy reported less than 100 customers had lost power during the storm around the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Philadelphia���s transit agency reported widespread delays on its buses, trolley, and train lines. The Philadelphia public and parochial schools opened during the morning, but then closed at Noon EST. SEPTA trains experienced delays of up to 30 minutes and the R6 Bala Cynwyd service was suspended. In Chester County, West Chester and Immaculata Universities were also closed. There were numerous reports of spinouts and cars on the shoulder due to slippery conditions. At 9:45 AM EST near Phoenixville, two young boys suffered minor injuries when the sled they were on went into the road and was hit by a passing car. In Bucks County, police reported several cars slid off the road and into ditches and each other, especially across the upper portions of the county, during the morning of the 22nd. Numerous accidents were also reported in Montgomery County.||Across Berks County and the Lehigh Valley: a tractor-trailer jackknifed during the early morning hours, which temporarily shut down one lane of westbound Interstate 78 between Exit 45 (Route 863) in Lehigh County and Exit 40 (Route 737) in Berks County. The truck hit the center barrier before it jackknifed across the westbound lanes about 4:15 AM EST. The highway was reopened at about 7:10 AM EST. In Berks County, many of the roads became icy once again during the night of the 22nd. At about 1030 PM EST, police responded to an accident which involved a car that rolled onto its side on U.S. Route 422 in Lower Heidelberg Township. Someone was trapped in the wreckage, however it was unknown if anyone was injured. Several schools were closed on the 22nd. In the Lehigh Valley: The Allentown Police Department reported a few minor traffic accidents due to the slippery conditions. In Northampton County the on-and off-ramps to Pennsylvania State Route 33 from Pennsylvania State Route 248 were closed around 5:00 AM EST in Lower Nazareth Township because a jackknifed tractor-trailer. The ramps reopened about 7:00 AM EST. PPL reported 23 customers were without power at 5:30 PM EST on the 22nd in Lower Saucon Township because of vehicle accidents.||In the Poconos all the Carbon County schools were closed. In Monroe County, a snow-covered road was blamed for a two-vehicle crash that occurred at about 2:33 AM EST along SR209 at Horseshoe Drive in Polk Township. Mainly minor injuries were reported.||Actual accumulations included 7.5 inches in Delaware Water Gap (Monroe County), 6.3 inches in Marshalls Creek (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in Bangor and Walnutport (Northampton County), 5.5 inches in Quakertown (Bucks County) and Albrightsville (Carbon County), 5.2 inches in Allentown (Lehigh County) and Pine Valley (Philadelphia County), 5.0 inches in Levittown (Bucks County), 4.8 inches in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Villanova (Delaware County), 4.0 inches in Bechtelsville (Berks County), 3.5 inches in Tredyffrin (Chester County), 3.4 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County), 3.3 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 3.2 inches in Reading (Berks County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport, 3.0 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), Conowingo (Cecil County), 0.8 inches in Millington (Kent County), 0.6 inches in Denton (Caroline County) and 0.4 inches in Easton (Talbot County). ||The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that formed along the Gulf Coast States during the afternoon of the 21st. This low pressure system moved northeast and reached Mississippi on the morning of the 22nd and the Tennessee Valley during the early afternoon of the 22nd. A secondary low pressure formed along the South Carolina coast that morning and reached Cape Hatteras early that afternoon. The secondary low pressure system continued to move northeast and by 7 p.m. EST on the 22nd was located about 125 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It passed just south of Nova Scotia overnight. The surface high pressure system that preceded the low left a cold and dry air mass in place for precipitation to start as snow. Since the high pressure system moved offshore, enough warm air in came in from the Atlantic to change the precipitation over to plain rain near Philadelphia. But, farther inland, northeast winds fed colder air into the state and prevented temperatures from rising above freezing.

A protracted winter storm of snow, sleet and freezing rain affected Eastern Pennsylvania from the late morning of the 12th into the morning of the 13th. More snow fell across the Poconos, while more freezing rain and sleet fell from the Lehigh Valley south through Philadelphia. This led to a very slippery and protracted commute home from school and work. Many schools dismissed children early and cancelled after school activities. Slippery travel persisted through the morning of the 13th in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Numerous accidents occurred including a few fatal ones in Berks, Monroe and Montgomery Counties. The winter weather led to power outages as ice laden trees, tree limbs and wires were knocked down. About 50,000 homes and businesses lost power.||Precipitation started as snow during the late morning and around Noon EST on the 12th. Precipitation changed to sleet and freezing rain during the late afternoon in and around Philadelphia. This transition spread north and reached Berks County and the Lehigh Valley during the early evening and the Poconos during the late evening on the 12th. The transition to plain rain took a long time to go north from Philadelphia (around Midnight EST on the 13th) to the Poconos (around 8 a.m. EST on the 13th). Snow and sleet accumulations ranged from two to five inches in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos to two inches or less elsewhere. Ice accretions averaged between one-quarter and half an inch with the highest amounts in and around the Lehigh Valley. ||In Philadelphia, traffic came to a standstill on Interstate 95 Southbound at Penn���s Landing due to the icy conditions along with accidents that blocked lanes. Accidents and a fallen pole closed traffic in both directions on Martin Luther Kind Drive and ice brought traffic on the Platt Bridge to a halt. An accident involving a school bus closed the Passyunk Avenue Bridge in Southwest Philadelphia. Multiple accidents jammed numerous exits on northbound Interstate 95, with a portion of Interstate 95 being closed for nearly two hours because of an accident. A number of exits from the Schuylkill Expressway westbound were closed after a tractor-trailer accident spilled hazardous materials on the highway. Traffic on the Roosevelt Boulevard was stalled when a fallen tree blocked lanes in both directions about 7:00 PM EST near St. Vincent Street and Ryan Avenue. The icy conditions contributed to a pileup on the Walt Whitman Bridge, and the Commodore Barry Bridge was closed for a time. At the Philadelphia International Airport between 5:00 PM EST and 6:00 PM EST, there were 22 departure cancellations; 17 departure delays; 6 arrival cancellations; and 3 arrival delays.||In Chester County, on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a jackknifed tractor-trailer caused stop and go traffic eastbound near the Downingtown exit. Traffic problems persisted into the next morning as a downed tree on Pennsylvania State Route 422 blocked one lane in the eastbound direction near the Route 100 interchange. In the other Philadelphia suburbs, police reported numerous minor accidents due to the icy conditions. In Bryn Athyn (Montgomery County), one person was killed and four others injured in a two-car accident at 9:30 PM EST on the 12th. Because of the icy weather conditions, West Norrinton (Montgomery County) officials cancelled their monthly commissioners��� and rescheduled it for later in the month. Some suburban roads were closed while crews worked to clear the accidents. Nearly 4,000 residents in the Buckingham Springs (Bucks County) community on Route 413 lost power for about one hour after a tree downed a wire on Stony Hill Road. ||In Berks County, icy conditions closed Pennsylvania State Route 183 in Bethel Township (Berks County) at about 5:00 PM EST until plows and salt trucks were able to clear it. PPL reported that 11,442 customers lost power in the Sinking Spring area, and service was restored to all but two by 9:00 PM EST on the 13th. In Blandon at about 5:30 AM EST on the 13th, a large ice-covered pear tree split in half, with half of the tree rested against a home at Walnut and Troy Drives. Other trees in the area had snapped limbs. An Indiana man died and his passenger was severely injured on Interstate 78 in Greenwich Township in a crash due to slippery conditions on the morning of the 13th. This accident closed the westbound lanes for 39 miles, between the Reading and Harrisburg east exits, for about five hours. Multiple other accidents were reported on Interstate 78. ||In the Lehigh Valley, several people were injured in an accident just before 3:00 PM EST on the 12th along Pennsylvania State Route 309 in Heidelberg Township (Lehigh County), near the intersection with Peters Road. A van slid out on a snow covered roadway and crossed the center line, being struck broadside by another car. Several ambulances transported the injured to the Lehigh Valley Hospital Trauma Center in Allentown. Many school districts cancelled school on the 13th. Those that were open, had a 2-hour delay. A large ice-covered tree in the 200 block of Fifth Street in Whitehall Township (Lehigh County) fell on the 13th, which caused some damage to a nearby parked vehicle. The Lehigh Valley and into the Poconos had about 7,500 PPL customers without power during the storm. Of those, nearly 5,000 were in the immediate Allentown area and about 1,000 in the Bethlehem area. Met-Ed reported 2,068 customers lost power in Northampton County.||In the Poconos, in Monroe County, a female from Stroudsburg was killed and her passenger badly hurt on February 13th when their car flipped several times on Pennsylvania State Route 33 near U.S. Route 209. An ice-coated tree fell onto a portion of a home in Bartonsville. The home was tangled in some power lines. An ice covered tree fell during the early morning of the 13th on Dreher Avenue in Stroudsburg, landing on power lines, which then caught on fire. The road was closed between Katz Drive and Glenview for several hours. Ice downed power lines throughout the county, left some 17,000 Met-Ed customers without power on the morning of the 13th. In Carbon County, a 59-year old man from Northampton was involved in an accident on Pennsylvania State Route 93 in Packer Township just before 8:00 AM EST on the 13th. His car slid off the road and hit two trees. He died from his injuries on February 26th. ||Snow and sleet accumulations included 5.0 inches in Bossardsville (Monroe County), 4.5 inches in Walnutport (Northampton County), 4.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 3.4 inches in Easton (Northampton County), 3.0 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 2.3 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County and Jim Thorpe (Carbon County), 1.4 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 1.3 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 1.0 inch in Morgantown (Berks County), Royersford (Montgomery County) and Fricks (Bucks County), 0.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 0.2 inches in Exton (Chester County).||The wintry mix was caused by a low pressure system that emerged from northern Texas late in the day on the 11th. The low pressure system moved northeast into the lower Ohio Valley on the morning of the 12th and reached into Ohio by the early evening on the 12th. A secondary low pressure system formed on its warm frontal boundary over Delmarva on the evening of the 12th. This low pressure system tracked northeast toward New York City before dissipating overnight. Other low pressure systems continued to track north along this stalled frontal boundary which started to move east again later in the day on the 13th. These low pressure systems brought in sufficient warm air from the nearby Atlantic Ocean to raise surface temperatures above freezing by the morning of the 13th. The cold surface air was supplied by a fresh high pressure system that moved across nearby Canada and the New England States on the 12th before it exited to the east later that night.

An arctic front swept across Pennsylvania during the morning hours of the 10th. Northwesterly winds increased in its wake and became rather gusty during the afternoon and evening hours. The strongest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The winds knocked down weak trees, weak tree limbs and power lines throughout the eastern part of the state that resulted in power outages. The winds also caused one death in Berks County.| |In Berks County, the strong winds were blamed for an accident in Longswamp Township that killed a 48-year old Kutztown man and critically injured his wife. The strong winds blew a large tree onto their sport utility vehicle. About 5,600 utility customers in the county lost power. Municipalities losing power included Birdsboro, Boyertown, Douglassville, Fredricksburg and Reading. The Berks County Communications Center reported widespread problems with downed trees pulling down power lines and blocking roads in nearly every corner of the county. In Wyomissing, the wind blew open the doors of several school buses parked near the Junior-Senior high school off Cambridge Avenue, which activated the vehicles��� blinking lights and stop signs. At about 7:00 PM EST, a tree fell onto wires on Linda Lane in Whitfield and caused at least two transformers to explode. In Northampton County gusty winds downed a tree on the 2100 block of Main Street in Bethlehem, which blocked the road and tore down power lines.||In North Philadelphia, debris from a construction site at Temple University���s Children���s Hospital blew around in the street. Police closed Broad Street from Erie to Ontario to avoid injuries. In the Philadelphia northwest suburbs PECO Energy reported about 31,000 customers had experienced sustained interruptions with 8,000 outages reported in Chester County and 6,000 in Montgomery County. By 6:00 PM EST, the service-wide figure dropped to 18,000. Less than 500 Met-Ed customers in Pottstown (Montgomery County) were without power. The strong winds also downed trees and power lines throughout Chester County. Tree limbs fell onto a garage and backyard in the 600 block of Price Street in West Chester (Chester County). The branches caused damage to the garage and a Mini Cooper which was parked in the driveway. During the morning commute of February 11th, motorists dodged downed tree branches around the region.||Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in London Grove (Chester County) and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 51 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 49 mph in Reading (Berks County), 48 mph in West Grove (Chester County) and in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 46 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), Willow Grove (Montgomery County), Easton (Northampton County) and at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 45 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Bristol (Bucks County).

Strong and gusty west winds accompanied and persisted behind a cold front from around 8 a.m. EST into the middle of the afternoon on the 30th across Eastern Pennsylvania. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and most of them occurred during the second half of the morning.||In the local Philadelphia area, PECO Energy reported about 20,000 homes and businesses lost power after the wind knocked down weak trees, tree limbs and power lines. Most had their power restored by the end of the afternoon. In Montgomery County, strong winds toppled over a tree in Pottsgrove Township unto the cab of a propane truck that was traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 422. The 63-year old driver suffered cuts to his face. One lane of the roadway was closed. In Norristown, the winds blew roofing material from a West Lafayette Street home. Wood and tar paper from the roof broke a neighbor's window and damaged two vehicles parked on the street. Some roofing material also blew off a home on Walnut Street. In Delaware County, a downed tree single-handedly took down three utility poles in Secane while another downed tree closed a road in Upper Providence. In Berks County, downed trees and wires caused scattered power outages in Wyomissing, Sinking Spring and Heidelberg.||Peak wind gusts included 58 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 56 mph in Williams Township (Northampton County), 52 mph in London Grove (Chester County) and Pine Valley (Philadelphia), 51 mph at both the Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia Airports, 49 mph in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 47 mph in Reading (Berks County), 45 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and 44 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

A strong area of high pressure was anchored over southeastern Canada on December 15th. This high gradually moved eastward during the day, however it wedged itself down into the Mid Atlantic region. Meanwhile, a storm system became more organized across the Gulf Coast states. This storm tracked northeastward from the 15th to the 16th. As the main storm tracked into Ohio on the 16th, a secondary area of low pressure developed near southern Delaware during that morning. Strong winds resulted as the storm intensified, mostly as the storm itself began to depart during the evening and overnight on the 16th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph.||The combination of the ice on the trees and wires and the strong winds led to widespread power outages across Eastern Pennsylvania. About 160,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was not completely restored everywhere until the 19th. The longest outages were in Berks County where shelters were opened in Bernville, Oley and Sinking Spring.||Several homes were damaged by downed trees in the northwest Philadelphia suburbs as Bucks County reported the most damage. About 40,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Buckingham Township on Lancaster Drive, a two-year-old girl narrowly escaped injury as a tree fell into her bedroom. Her mother was injured rescuing her daughter. Three more homes were also damaged by downed trees and/or ensuing fires from downed wires in Bristol Township and Lower Makefield Township. In Towamensing Township, a garage fire was started by downed wires. Elsewhere in Bucks County, downed trees that blocked roads and power outages were reported in Hilltown, Bedminster and East and West Rockhill Townships. After the wind ceased, a 48-year-old man was killed by a tree limb in Bridgeton Township. He was struck in the head by the limb after he slipped on the ice trying to avoid it. The tree was in the process of being removed because of the wind damage it suffered.||In Montgomery County, Franconia Township was hit the hardest as the wind caused over a dozen reports of downed wires. Roadways were closed for up to six hours. Most of the township lost power and a shelter was opened at the fire station. In Hatfield Township, a large tree was knocked down. In Delaware County, in Villanova, a downed 200 foot oak tree cut a home in half. In Chester County, the strong winds overturned a tractor-trailer on Eastbound U.S. Route 422 in North Coventry Township. The roadway was closed for six hours until the tractor-trailer was removed. In Carbon County, Interstate 80 was closed for a couple of hours because of downed wires.||Measured peak wind gusts included 52 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, in London Grove (Chester County) and on Newbold Island (Bucks County), 51 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and 44 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Strong winds buffeted eastern Pennsylvania during the second half of the morning and into the evening on the 3rd. Highest wind gusts averaged around 50 mph and downed trees, tree limbs, scattered garbage pails and caused scattered power outages. Two people were injured by the wind. ||In Bucks County, a 26-year-old man was injured while hanging rafters at a Richland Township store that was under construction. He was literally blown over by the wind and fell twenty feet. In Doylestown, a downed tree damaged a pole and the corner of a roof of one home. Evening classes were cancelled at the Delaware Valley College because of power outages. In Solebury Township, downed trees blocked Bridgeton Road. In Montgomery County, a woman was injured by a downed tree on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Upper Moreland Township near the Willow Grove Interchange. Downed trees forced road closures in Horsham Township. In Delaware County, a downed tree limb damaged a corner of a home in Haverford Township. PECO Energy reported about 33,000 homes and businesses lost power in the local Philadelphia area. All power was restored by the 4th.||Specific wind gusts included 52 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 48 mph in London Grove (Chester County) and 46 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). The strong winds were caused by the pressure difference between a low pressure system that was intensifying as it was moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building toward the northeast from the Southern Plains.

An upper air disturbance that passed through the region on an unseasonably hot and humid day helped produce strong to severe thunderstorms across Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of the 27th. PECO Energy reported that about 40,000 homes and businesses lost power in their southeastern Pennsylvania service area because of the severe thunderstorms and lightning.

In the wake of the departing nor���easter, the combination of strong winds, snow on tree limbs and heavy rain loosening the ground caused many tree limbs, trees and wires to be knocked down on the 16th. Over 160,000 homes and businesses across Eastern Pennsylvania lost power. Most power was restored by the night of the 17th. Many school districts cancelled classes because of the power outages and/or blocked roadways.|Pennsylvania Power and Light reported about 77,100 of its eastern Pennsylvania customers lost power on the 16th. Carbon and Monroe Counties were among the hardest hit counties. In Carbon County, the downed trees caused most of the east side of Jim Thorpe to not have power for most of the daylight hours on the 16th. The docket for the county courthouse was cancelled for the day. In Mahoning Township, part of the metal flashing on the roof of the Times News newspaper was torn away. A fifteen foot piece of the metal was tossed to the ground. In Monroe County, an additional 3,000 Metropolitan Edison customers also lost power in Monroe County. |About 6,000 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power mainly in the eastern half of Berks County as well as Montgomery County. One home was badly damaged by a downed tree in Mount Penn Borough (Berks County). The family was displaced. In the Lehigh Valley, about 65,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Northampton County, the most concentrated outages were in the northern part of the county in Upper Mount Bethel, Bushkill and Moore Townships. Downed tree limbs closed a few roads in Plainfield Township. |Across southeastern Pennsylvania including Philadelphia, about 80,000 PECO Energy customers lost power. In Chester County, a 100-foot tree crushed a King Road home in East Whiteland Township rendering it uninhabitable. Twelve roads across the county were closed because of downed trees, utility poles and wires. PECO Energy reported that 30,000 of its 80,000 outages in southeastern Pennsylvania occurred in Chester County. The R5 SEPTA Commuter Rail Line suspended its Paoli service because of lost power. The worst utility damage occurred in the northwest part of the county as many Pennsylvania Power and Light utility poles were knocked down along Pennsylvania State Route 10 in Honey Brook. The road was closed for several hours. In Delaware County, about 24,000 homes and businesses lost power, with the most outages in Radnor Township. One home was damaged by downed trees in Radnor Township. Downed trees closed roads and caused power outages in Chadds Ford, Colwyn, Concord, Folcroft, Haverford, Lansdowne, Marple, Newtown Square, Radnor, Sharon Hill and Springfield. The Pennsylvania Route 101 trolley was replaced by bus service as a downed tree blocked the route. Power interruptions also affected the R3 SEPTA Regional Rail Media Line. In Montgomery County, the worst reported tree damage was in Lower Merion Township where about two dozen trees were knocked down. One house was damaged by the fallen trees. Power interruptions suspended service on the Cynwyd R6 SEPTA Regional Rail Line on the 16th. In Philadelphia, the strong winds caused delays that averaged 100 minutes at Philadelphia International Airport. U.S. Air cancelled about 35 flights outright. About 50 trees were knocked down within Philadelphia. In Bucks County, about 6,000 homes and businesses lost power. |Peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Slatington (Lehigh County), 52 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 51 mph in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 49 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and London Grove (Chester County), 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport and the 45 mph at the Willow Grove NAS was 45 mph.

An intense nor'easter brought heavy rain and flooding to Eastern Pennsylvania on the 15th and strong to high winds as well as some snow to the region on the 16th. Numerous streams and rivers flooded, but the flooding along the Delaware River was minimal. Many roadways were closed due to flooding. Many basements were also flooded. There were a small number of mainly voluntary evacuations. About 25 major roadways around the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area were closed due to flooding.|Rain began falling throughout the area during the late evening on the 14th. It started briefly as snow over some of the higher terrain of the Poconos. The rain fell at its heaviest across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos from about 3 a.m. EDT on the 15th into the evening. Precipitation changed to snow over the higher terrain shortly after midnight EDT on the 16th while a mixture of rain and snow (during heavier bursts) continued in the valleys through the morning. Precipitation ended during the afternoon and early evening. Elsewhere across Eastern Pennsylvania, the rain fell at its heaviest from about 3 a.m. EDT on the 15th to about 3 a.m. EDT on the 16th. As the upper air disturbance moved across southeast Pennsylvania, the rain did change to snow for a couple of hours around sunrise on the 16th and accumulated about an inch or two on grassy areas. The steady precipitation ended during the afternoon and early evening on the 16th. Event precipitation totals averaged 3 to 6 inches. Event snowfall totals were an inch or two in most areas, except for 3 to 6 inches in the higher terrain of the Poconos. |The strongest winds occurred as the nor'easter pulled northeast of the region on the 16th from the early morning into the afternoon. The combination of the heavy rain, even some snow and the winds helped knock down numerous trees and power lines. PECO Energy reported about 80,000 of its southeastern Pennsylvania customers lost power. More than 50 major roads were closed in southeastern Pennsylvania because of downed trees. also in Southeastern Pennsylvani, five SEPTA Regional Rail Service Lines had service interruptions on the 16th. Pennsylvania Power and Light reported about 77,000 of its customers lost power in Eastern Pennsylvania and about 65,000 homes and businesses lost power in the Lehigh Valley. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph.|The combination of the snow, wind (power outages) and flooding (more so in the local Philadelphia area) caused many school districts to either cancel classes or have delayed openings on the 16th. The nor'easter was so nasty that even the Internal Revenue Service extended the tax deadline for 48 hours. |The nor'easter low pressure system initially formed in the southern Rockies on the 12th and moved to Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. At 8 p.m. EDT on the 14th, there were two low pressure systems, one in Kentucky and the other in western Alabama. The southern low pressure system became the predominate one overnight and at 8 a.m. EDT on the 15th, it (996 millibar low) was located in western North Carolina. As the 15th continued, it moved northeast and intensified rapidly. At 2 p.m. EDT the nor'easter (989 millibars) was near Raleigh, North Carolina. At 8 p.m. EDT, the nor'easter was a 979 millibar low pressure system near Virginia Beach, Virginia. Another low pressure system formed on its warm front during the afternoon over Chesapeake Bay and at 8 p.m. EDT it (982 millibars) was over extreme southwest New Jersey. The lows consolidated into one again overnight and a very intense 973 millibar low pressure system was located over Monmouth County, New Jersey at 2 a.m. EDT on the 16th. At 8 a.m. EDT on the 16th the nor'easter was down to 968 millibars and located over New York City. That was a drop in central pressure of 28 millibars in 24 hours which qualified it as a meteorological bomb (a drop in central pressure of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours) low pressure system. The nor'easter bottomed at a pressure of about 966 millibars (28.53 inches) at 11 a.m. EDT just south of Long Island, New York. To put into prospective how low the pressure was with this nor'easter, that central pressure is near the border of the pressure defined category 2 and category 3 hurricane once used on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the 16th continued, the nor'easter weakened and meandered across southwest New England and the New York and New Jersey coastal waters. By 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, the nor'easter's central pressure rose to 988 millibars and a second storm formed on the triple point of its fronts south of Nova Scotia. This became the main low pressure system. The low pressure system then slowly moved southeast over the next couple of days. The heaviest precipitation fell as the low pressure system was rapidly intensifying on the 15th into the early part of the 16th. The strongest winds ceased after the low pressure system started to fill on the afternoon of the 16th.

A nor'easter caused heavy sleet to fall across the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, heavy snow and sleet to fall across Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and heavy snow in the Poconos on the 16th into the early morning of the 17th. The winter storm caused scores of accidents. Vehicles rolled over, slid off roads, slid into each other, slammed into guardrails and fishtailed. The afternoon and evening commute slowed to a crawl. A few schools closed. Most of the others had early dismissals. Many state offices and county courts closed early. Many after school activities were postponed. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. A couple of Saint Patrick's Day parades scheduled for Saturday the 17th were also postponed. The winter storm wreaked havoc at Philadelphia International Airport as most flights on the 16th were cancelled and it took a couple of days for flights to return to normal. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association postponed several state playoff high school basketball games. Accumulations averaged 4 to 6 inches in the local Philadelphia area, 5 to 9 inches in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and 12 to 18 inches in the Poconos.|Precipitation started as rain across the region during the evening of the 15th. But as colder air moved in aloft, precipitation changed quickly to snow in the Poconos around Midnight EDT on the 16th and in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley around 7 a.m. EDT. Farther to the south, the surge of cold air was confined to a more shallower layer and precipitation changed to sleet around the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT. Precipitation continued as mainly sleet across the greater Philadelphia through the evening. In Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, the snow mixed with and changed over to sleet during the later afternoon and the first half of the evening before it went back to all snow. Precipitation ended early in the day on the 17th (before 3 a.m. EDT) as mainly snow in all areas.|The only reported traffic fatality from the storm in Eastern Pennsylvania occurred in Bucks County. An 18-year-old girl from Plumstead Township was killed when her vehicle crossed the center line of an icy road Durham Road and collided with a dump truck. Elsewhere in Bucks County, portions of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Quakertown were stalled when two tractor-trailers collided in the southbound lanes at 2 p.m. EDT. A six mile back-up occurred. About 1,900 homes and businesses lost power in Newtown after a vehicle struck a pole. |In the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area, about 265 schools dismissed early and more than 60 community events were either cancelled or postponed. The largest impact of the winter storm within Philadelphia was the cancellation of most of the 1,200 scheduled flights at the Philadelphia International Airport. About 1,000 people were stranded at the airport the night of the 16th. Passengers on about 15 U.S. Airways planes sat on the tarmac for over four hours before gates became available to deplane them. Operations resumed on the 17th, but U.S. Airways still had to cancel about one quarter of its flights because the weather prevented crews and planes from arriving in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers hockey team was forced to fly out of Atlantic City International. About 100 travelers slept at the airport on the night of the 18th. Normal operations resumed on the 19th. The sleet forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of the Vine Expressway within the city for about half an hour between the Schuylkill Expressway and Interstate 95 for its removal. The horse racing card at Philadelphia Park was cancelled for three days. |In Montgomery County, in Montgomery Township, an accident on Pennsylvania State Route 309 and Taylor Road badly injured one person. In Towamencin Township, two accidents resulted in two injuries. In Chester County, the state police reported 46 accidents in the central part of the county, but only one reported injury. A woman was hospitalized after a crash on Pennsylvania State Route 113 in Phoenixville. Several businesses in the county closed early. In Berks County, in Union Township one vehicle slid off a road and landed upside down in a creek. The driver was treated for non-threatening life injuries. A serious accident occurred on Old U.S. Route 22 in Lenhartsville.|The Lehigh Valley had a number of serious accidents on Interstate 78. In Lehigh County, a tractor-trailer jack-knifed near Pennsylvania State Route 100 at Fogelsville and closed the interstate from 330 p.m. EDT through 515 p.m. EDT. Both southbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension were closed from 155 p.m. EDT through 420 p.m. EDT after two tractor-trailers and a car collided in Lower Milford Township. Many flights at the Lehigh Valley International Airport were delayed, a couple were cancelled. Commuter buses bringing workers home from New York City had long delays. In Northampton County, a tractor-trailer jack-knifed on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 78 about 4 p.m. EDT near the Pennsylvania State Route 33 junction. All lanes were not reopened until 545 p.m. EDT. In Moore Township, a school bus collided head-on with a car. Both drivers, but no children were injured. In Lower Mount Bethel Township, a Jeep Cherokee slid into a home on Pennsylvania State Route 611 and injured the driver. A Ford Explorer driver was injured after the vehicle struck a tree in Wind Gap. Problems on Lehigh Valley roadways continued long after the snow and sleet ended. A driver was injured on U.S. Route 22 in Whitehall Township (Lehigh County) when ice chunks from a tractor-trailer hit their vehicle. In Upper Macungie Township (Lehigh County), ice chunks that flew off a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer cracked the windshield and dented the hood of a vehicle on Interstate 78 near the Pennsylvania State Route 100 exit. In the Poconos, many malls closed early. In Monroe County, a flipped over truck snarled traffic on U.S. Route 209 and Pennsylvania State Route 33. A jack-knifed tractor-trailer on eastbound Interstate 80 near Stroudsburg snarled the evening commute to a crawl.|Snow and sleet totals included 18.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Effort (Monroe County), 15.4 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 14.5 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 14.2 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 10.0 inches in Slatington (Lehigh County), 8.5 inches in Reading (Berks County) and at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 6.5 inches in Birdsboro (Berks County) and Springtown (Bucks County), 6.1 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County), 6.0 inches in East Nantmeal (Chester County), 5.7 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County), 5.5 inches in Elkins Park and King of Prussia (both Montgomery County), 5.3 inches in Marshalls Creek (Northampton County), 5.0 inches in Broomall (Delaware County) and Bethlehem (Northampton County), 4.8 inches in Roxborough (Philadelphia County), 4.0 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County) and Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), 3.8 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 3.1 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County)and 3.0 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. |The winter storm was caused by a nor'easter low pressure system that developed on a cold front that moved through the area on the 15th. Prior to that, unseasonably mild air helped push high temperatures as high as the 70s. A strong high pressure system moved across nearby Canada and supplied a fresh supply of cold air into the region. Meanwhile, the low pressure system formed over South Carolina and Georgia on the morning of the 16th and moved northeast. At 2 p.m. EDT on the 16th, it was near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; at 8 p.m. EDT that evening, it was just east of Virginia Beach; at 2 a.m. EDT on the 17th, it was about 100 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey and was about 100 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts at 8 a.m. EDT on the 17th. As central pressures go, this was not particularly a powerful system; it was only 996 millibars the morning of the 17th. What contributed to the event, was the strong high pressure system (about 1040 millibars the morning of the 16th). It supplied the fresh cold air needed to change the precipitation over to sleet and freezing rain and increased the pressure gradient (and consequently the wind) between itself and the developing nor'easter low pressure system.

An area of low pressure tracked across southeastern Canada during the 12th, which brought an arctic front across the Mid Atlantic region late on the 12th. As this occurred, a strong area of high pressure located across central Canada built down into the Northeast, allowing very cold air to spill southward ultimately leading to what is known as cold air damming. This occurs east of the mountains down through the Mid Atlantic states. Meanwhile, a Pacific storm slammed onto the California coast during the 11th and as it moved eastward, a new area of low pressure developed across southeastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle. This storm became impressive as it moved into the Ohio Valley during the 13th. However as additional energy moved into the eastern part of the country, a new area of low pressure developed near the North Carolina coast late on the 13th. This allowed mainly light snow to overspread the region from south to north during the early morning hours of the 13th. As the secondary area of low pressure became more organized to our south, moisture began to fill in across North Carolina and Virginia and this moved northward. The arctic front that slipped through the state on the 12th was positioned across the southern Delmarva and this began a northward jog during the night of the 13th and the morning of the 14th. The intensifying area of low pressure tracked very near southern Delaware and then slid close to the New Jersey Shore during the morning of the 14th. This system continued to intensify as it moved into New England during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. The track of the storm kept winds at the surface from the northeast, which pretty much locked in the cold air at the surface while some warmer air worked in above the surface for a period of time. The upper-level system then passed overhead during the evening of the 14th, with the entire system pretty much a memory by late in the evening of the 14th. Governor Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency across the entire state on the 15th. PPL Electric Utilities Corporation reported 1,542 customers were without power for a time during the storm in the Lancaster, Harrisburg and Allentown areas.|Snow began across between 6 AM and 7 AM EST on the 13th in Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Berks Counties. The snow then overspread Bucks, Northampton, Lehigh and Carbon Counties between 8 AM and 10 AM EST, but held off in Monroe County until the early afternoon hours. There was a lull in the precipitation during the evening hours of the 13th especially across southeastern Pennsylvania, however the precipitation became widespread overnight and during the early morning hours of the 14th. As some warmer air began to move in above the surface, the snow mixed with and changed to sleet and freezing rain between 6 PM and 7 PM EST on the 13th in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, then between 7 PM and 11 PM across most other areas in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern Poconos saw less mixed precipitation, however there was a period of mixed precipitation between about 7:30 PM on the 13th and 11:30 AM on the 14th. For a brief time during the afternoon of the 14th, temperatures rose a couple of degrees above freezing with no precipitation falling. Temperatures then dropped below freezing again by the late afternoon of the 14th with a period of snow before the precipitation came to an end between 8:30 PM and 10 PM on the 14th. Wraparound snow showers lingered in Monroe and Carbon Counties until 2 AM EST on the 15th. |In Berks County, snow and sleet along with very cold temperatures combined with some accidents and other aspects to cause a 50-mile backup on Interstate 78. Many motorists, including more than 100 trucks, were stuck on the interstate for nearly 24 hours, without food, water and running out of fuel. At 12:26 PM on the 14th, a caller tells a 911 center he���s been stuck in traffic on westbound Interstate 78 near the Berks-Lehigh county line for more than an hour. At 1:02 PM, a truck driver tells the Berks Communications Center about a seven-mile backup on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 78 near Hamburg. At 4:40 PM, a 911 caller asked to speak to the Berks Emergency Management Agency. The Berks Deputy Coordinator took the call. At 4:59 PM, The Berks Deputy Coordinator called the State Emergency Operations Center and was told the center learned of the backup at 4:33 PM. At 5:22 PM, Berks Emergency Management calls the state police at the Hamburg barracks but cannot get through, so he decided to drive there. At 6:08 PM, the Berks Emergency Management Deputy Coordinator finds that the Hamburg barracks is without power and phones. At 6:27 PM, a senior decision-maker from PennDOT is requested to arrive at the Hamburg state police barracks to help with communications. At 9:30 PM, a PennDOT supervisor arrived in Hamburg. At 10:30 PM, all westbound Interstate 78 traffic is stopped at the Hamburg exit due to numerous disabled vehicles. At 10:40 PM, Governor Ed Rendell declared a disaster emergency. On the 15th at 3:54 AM, state troopers and emergency personnel began walking miles of Interstate 78, waking up truckers who have gone to sleep as traffic begins to move. At 5 PM on the 15th, the state orders Interstate 78 shut down in both directions from Interstate 81 in Lebanon County to Route 100 in Lehigh County. At 6 PM on the 15th, plowing begins and continued through the night. Additional snow removing equipment was brought in from the western part of the state to help with the clearing of the highway. Highway officials along with the National Guard and State Police worked to clear the stuck trucks and cars from the highway, therefore plowing and ice removal can get fully underway. On the 16th, the interstate remained closed throughout the day as crews continued to plow and remove ice. On the 17th at 4 PM, the interstate reopened. The Exeter Township snow emergency, which was declared on the 14th, was extended through 4 PM on the 15th. Several schools across the county were closed on the 14th, with some also closed on the 15th.|Across the Lehigh Valley: In Lehigh County, The city of Allentown declared a snow emergency early on the 14th, which was then lifted at 8 PM on the 14th. The weight of snow and ice, on the 14th, brought down the dome over the swimming pool at the West End Racquet and Fitness Club in South Whitehall Township. The dome itself was destroyed. Also, the Brookside Country Club in Wescosville also reported dome damage as a result of the snow and ice. In Northampton County, an 83-year-old woman was found dead on the rear porch of her home from hypothermia. Also in Bethlehem, a pedestrian was hospitalized after a private snowplow operator backed over him while clearing the Sheetz gas station parking lot at 3201 Schoenersville Road on the 14th. County Emergency Dispatch officials reported about a dozen or so minor vehicle accidents due to the slippery conditions. The snow and ice was too much on the 15th for a dome covering a soccer field at the Iron Lakes Sports Club on Shankweiler Road in North Catasauqua that it collapsed.|In the Poconos, in Carbon County, The Mansion Hill (SR 209) exiting Jim Thorpe towards Lehighton was closed for most of the 14th due to snow slides blocking the major artery or tractor-trailer trucks becoming stuck and blocking the travel lanes. The road reopened about 2:30 PM on the 14th, however it was shut down again at 3:06 PM due to an accident. This was a main trouble spot as the snow and sleet reportedly drifted on the hill across part of the highway. Drifts were reported to be higher than some vehicles. At 8:20 AM on the 14th, it was decided that drifting was occurring more frequently than road crews could clear, resulting in the heavily traveled road being closed. All schools in the county canceled classes as early as the evening of the 13th. Lansford continued their state of emergency on the 15th, which was issued on the 14th. This means that all non-essential travel should be avoided. One accident occurred when a tractor-trailer jack-knifed on the Mansion House Hill, Route 209, in Jim Thorpe at about 4 AM on the 14th. The Pennsylvania Turnpike���s Lehighton interchange was closed because of a tractor-trailer crash on the 14th, and state police closed Interstate 81 late in the afternoon of the 14th, deeming it impassable. Interstate 380 also was closed because of bad road conditions. In Monroe County,|state police closed Interstates 80 and 380 during the afternoon of the 14th because of bad road conditions. Interstate 80 was closed between Interstates 81 and 380. The combination of a heavy snowfall then a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain made for hazardous road conditions. The mixed precipitation made it more difficult for some road crews to keep up. At 4 PM EST on the 17th the interstates reopened after ice was removed and the road surfaces was safe for travel.|In and around the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area, in Bucks County, slippery road conditions contributed to a tractor-trailer accident on the 14th on Route 309 in Richland Township. The highway was closed for more than an hour, which forced motorists to detour on slush-covered side streets. In Delaware County, a handful of school districts had early dismissals on the 13th between 11 AM and 1:40 PM because of the snow. A car collided with another vehicle at the corner of Turner Road and Baltimore Pike during the afternoon of the 13th, due to the slippery conditions. No reports of injuries. In Montgomery County, a two-car accident happened during the afternoon of the 14th on a snowy, slippery and untreated Morwood Road in Franconia. The driver of one vehicle was sent to the Lehigh Valley Hospital. Several schools were closed on the 14th with some closed on the 15th as well. In Philadelphia itself, the combination of snow and sleet closed many of the schools, delayed flights, trains and buses. The school district parochial schools were closed on the 14th, as were the regional and central administrative offices. During the midday hours on the 14th, giant slabs of ice slid off tops of buildings in Center City and crashed to the ground. Chunks of ice as large as three feet wide made their way to the pavement from high up. Police started to block off areas where the ice was falling, however one man was hit in the head by the falling ice and was knocked to the ground.|Some snow/sleet accumulations included 14.0 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 13.5 inches in Blakeslee (Monroe County), 12.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 10.0 inches in Lehigh Township (Northampton County), 8.1 inches in Middle Smithfield (Monroe County), 8.0 inches in Sinking Spring (Berks County), 8.0 inches in Alburtis (Lehigh County), 8.0 inches in New Tripoli (Lehigh County), 7.8 inches in Morgantown (Berks County), 7.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown (Lehigh County), 7.1 inches in Lincoln Park (Berks County), 7.0 inches in Coatesville (Chester County), 6.7 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 5.8 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County), 5.6 inches in Glendon (Northampton County), 5.5 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), 5.5 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 5.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County), 5.0 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Green Lane (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 4.3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 4.0 inches in Eagleville (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), and 3.0 inches in Roxborough (Philadelphia County).

An arctic air mass that originated near the North Pole invaded eastern Pennsylvania. The combination of the unseasonably cold air and gusty northwest winds produced wind chill factors as low as zero to 10 degrees below zero during the mornings of the 5th and 6th around Philadelphia, around 10 degrees below zero in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County and around 20 degrees below zero in the Poconos. The extreme cold caused the death of two males. A homeless man was found dead near the Falls Bridge in Philadelphia and a 25-year-old man was found dead in a driveway in Plymouth Township (Montgomery County). The lowest temperatures were in the single numbers across much of eastern Pennsylvania except for some below zero readings in the Poconos. |The extreme cold caused many municipalities to declare Code Blue winter weather alerts. This sets into motion efforts by churches, local charitable organizations and outreach programs to open shelters and help assist getting the homeless indoors. Many schools in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos and had delayed openings both mornings. Many pipes froze across the region and many vehicles had dead batteries. Firefighters had a particular difficult time battling blazes in these conditions as in some instances water froze in tanker trucks and fire hydrants froze. The cold silenced the emergency alarm system in Nazareth Borough (Northampton County). The extreme cold helped Pennsylvania Power and Light set a new hourly wintertime usage record. between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST on the 5th, 7,318 megawatts of electricity were used, breaking the previous record of 7,274 megawatts. PECO Energy also reported the highest gas and electricity usage since 2004. |Actual lowest temperatures included -9 degrees at the F.E. Walter Dam (Carbon County), -4F in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 1 degree in Springtown (Bucks County), 2 degrees in Lehighton (Carbon County), 5 degrees in Easton (Northampton County), Reading (Berks County) and at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 6 degrees in Doylestown (Bucks County), Pottstown (Montgomery County) and West Chester (Chester County), 7 degrees in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and 10 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Strong northwest to west winds occurred during the daytime hours on January 20th across Eastern Pennsylvania. It was caused by an intense pressure gradient (large difference in surface pressure over a relatively small area) between a powerful low pressure system (960 millibars at 7 a.m. EST on the 20th) moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building east from the Midwest. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph and included 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, London Grove (Chester County) and Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 44 mph at the Willow Grove NAS (Montgomery County), 43 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 40 mph in Reading (Berks County).

A southerly flow preceding a powerful cold front produced high winds during the afternoon in most of Eastern Pennsylvania. The westerly flow behind the front during the evening produced strong winds throughout the region. Measured peak wind gusts averaged near 50 mph with higher gusts estimated during the high wind events. The wind damage was exacerbated by a line of strong to severe thunderstorms that moved through around 6 p.m. EST. Winds were from the south preceding the front during the afternoon and from the west behind the front during the evening. |A few people were injured in Horsham Township (Montgomery County) when the top three layers of a partially constructed concrete wall collapsed. The high winds tore part of a roof from a small hanger at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Part of the roof landed on power lines. The high winds also knocked over a traffic light in Allentown (Lehigh County). The high and strong winds knocked down trees, tree limbs and power lines. Tree limbs and holiday decorations became flying debris. Several planned holiday lighting festivities and football games were postponed. The combination of the high winds and thunderstorms caused about 65,500 of Pennsylvania, Power and Light's eastern Pennsylvania to lose power. All power was fully restored on the 3rd. |Measured wind gusts included 55 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 51 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 48 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County,47 mph in London Grove (Chester County), 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Strong south winds preceded a cold frontal passage across Eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and early evening of the 16th. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph. The combination of the winds and heavy rain downed trees, tree limbs and power lines in the region. PECO Energy reported about 26,000 of its southeastern Pennsylvania customers lost power, mainly between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST. More than half of the customers had power restored by 9 p.m. EST that evening. In Bucks County, about 6,000 PECO customers lost power, 4,000 of them in the Doylestown area. In Lehigh County, downed trees and wires were reported in Upper Macungie, South Whitehall and Lower Milford. In Monroe County, downed trees were reported in Coolbaugh Township. Peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Downingtown (Chester County), 48 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and Vinemont (Berks County) and 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport.

A very intense and rapidly deepening low pressure system that went from the Ohio Valley on the 28th into the Saint Lawrence River Valley on the 29th caused strong west winds to occur across Eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning into the afternoon on the 29th. The strongest wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and occurred around Noon EST. The strong winds downed some weak trees, tree limbs and wires.|The more widespread power outages occurred from Berks County northeast through the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. In Berks County, the winds snapped a utility pole and interrupted power for about three hours to half (2,500) of Kutztown. In Union Township, a downed wire caused a brush fire. In the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, Pennsylvania Power and Light and Metropolitan Edison reported about 10,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was fully restored by the morning of the 30th. In Bucks County, the strong winds complicated a large fire that occurred in a two story home in Upper Makefield Township. It took fourteen fire companies to respond and extinguish the blaze. |Peak wind gusts included 53 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 51 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 50 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 47 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 46 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. |The low pressure system deepened from a 988 millibar low at 8 a.m. EDT on the 28th to a 964 millibar low at 7 a.m. EST on the 29th, fulfilling the definition of a meteorological bomb with respect to rapidly intensifying low pressure systems (24 millibar or greater drop in 24 hours). Normally this rapid intensification occurs over the Atlantic Ocean and not on land. The low pressure system reached its lowest pressure of 963 millibars in eastern Quebec Province at 1 p.m. EST on the 29th before it started to weaken.

Cold air streaming in behind a powerful cold front produced very strong gusty west to northwest winds during the afternoon of the 20th in Eastern Pennsylvania. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 to 50 mph, except around 60 mph over the higher terrain in the Poconos. The strong winds did knock down trees, tree limbs and wires across Eastern Pennsylvania. The greatest number of outages was in and around Philadelphia where trees still had leaves on them. PECO Energy reported about 75,000 of its southeastern Pennsylvania customers lost power, 15,000 of them did not have power restored until the morning of the 21st. In the Philadelphia suburbs, a downed tree damaged a vehicle in Lansdale (Montgomery County). The winds blew over eight tents at a Fall State Craft Festival in Bucks County. The festival was closed on the 20th and was reopened on the 21st. Some hand made items were damaged.|Peak wind gusts included 61 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 53 mph in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 50 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 44 mph in Reading (Berks County) and 39 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The combination of the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernnesto and a large high pressure system over eastern Canada produced heavy rain and strong winds in Philadelphia. This caused power outages and downed trees. Rain moved into the area around Noon EDT on the 1st and did not exit until around 6 p.m. EDT on the 2nd. The heaviest rain fell during the day on the 2nd. Storm totals averaged around two inches. The heavy rain produced poor drainage flooding. In addition to the heavy rain, persistent east to northeast winds caused tree damage as the heavy rain loosened the root support and weighed down limbs. PECO Energy reported about 117,000 of its southeastern Pennsylvania customers lost power including those within Philadelphia. About 28,000 customers still did not have power restored as of 2 p.m. EST on the 2nd. The Wissahickon Creek also flooded near its mouth with the Schuylkill River. The Wissahickon Creek at its mouth was above its 5 foot flood stage from 8 p.m. EDT on the 2nd through 1219 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. It crested at 5.31 feet at 1015 p.m. EDT. Actual storm totals included 2.35 inches at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 2.25 inches at the Franklin Institute, 2.00 inches at Philadelphia International Airport and 1.92 inches at the Fairmont Dam. Highest wind gusts included 43 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and 40 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure system that was Ernesto moved slowly north from around Petersburg, Virginia at 5 p.m. EDT on the 1st, to near Fredericksburg, Virginia at 11 p.m. EDT on the 1st, passed close to Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. EDT on the 2nd, near Hagerstown, Maryland at 8 a.m. EDT on the 2nd, near Altoona, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. EDT on the 2nd and accelerated northward and was just southeast of Buffalo, New York at 2 a.m. EDT on the 3rd. Of greater importance, was a strong high pressure system (greater than 1032 millibars) that remained over southeastern Canada and maintained the pressure gradient (difference) between it and the remnant low of Ernesto.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires in South Philadelphia. The intense cloud-to-ground lightning associated with the severe storm also caused the suspension of outgoing flights at Philadelphia International Airport. PECO Energy reported about 8,500 homes and businesses in southeastern Pennsylvania lost power. Most of the outages were in Delaware and Philadelphia Counties.

A strong area of high pressure anchored over the East Coast and the western Atlantic, resulted in a stretch of excessive heat for the entire region to start off August 2006. The very hot air mass was accompanied by humid conditions as the dewpoints surged into the upper 60s and lower 70s for a time. It could have been worse, but the dew points lowered a little bit for most areas during the afternoon hours as the sunshine dried the air mass out for a time. The highest temperature reached was 98 degrees, three days in a row, at the Philadelphia International Airport, one of which was a new record high temperature. On August 3rd, the temperature soared to 96 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport near Allentown and 97 degrees in Reading. Even Mount Pocono topped out at 90 degrees on both August 2nd and August 3rd. The heat indices topped out on August 1st between 105 and 110 degrees, except the lower 90s across the southern Poconos. The nighttime hours though were very uncomfortable as the low temperature on the morning of August 2nd was a soupy 81 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport. The excessive heat on August 1st caused a boy, who was attending a basketball camp at Lehigh University, to collapse during practice in the Philip Rauch Fieldhouse at the Bethlehem School's Goodman Campus. The boy was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill and turned out to be just fine. Almost three dozen young people riding in several charter buses back to Brooklyn, New York from Dorney Park, Pennsylvania on the night of August 2nd were stricken by the heat and treated at four Lehigh Valley Hospitals. Some of them even passed out. Malfunctioning air conditioning on a couple buses during the excessive heat contributed to the illnesses, affecting an adult and 34 children. The buses pulled off Interstate 78 about 7 PM EDT. About eleven people fell unconscious after the buses stopped; all were between eight and eighteen years of age. St. Joseph Hospital in Reading treated about two people for heat-related ailments on August 2nd, while Reading Hospital treated as many as 30 patients for similar problems. In Chester County, Pennsylvania, three people were admitted to Chester County Hospital and three others to Phoenixville Hospital with heat-related illnesses on August 2nd.The excessive heat put an extra burden on area power companies as fans and air conditioners worked overtime. PPL Electric Utilities of Allentown, which serves 1.3 million customers in Pennsylvania, and PECO serving Philadelphia and its suburbs, broke records for electricity demands. PECO's peak usage on August 1st reached 8,884 megawatts, surpassing the previous record of 8,638 megawatts set on July 18, 2006. During the excessive heat on August 1st and 2nd, 3,500 PECO customers in Lower Bucks County experienced a power outage. PPL customers in the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area used 7,507 megawatt hours of energy between 4 PM EDT and 5 PM EDT, which according to preliminary reports, was a new record. The company's old record, 7,274 megawatt hours, was set on December 20, 2004. Met-Ed's usage topped out at 3,000 megawatt hours in the Easton, Pennsylvania area, which was also a new record; the previous record was set in July 2006. Met-Ed reported a heat-related outage in Raubsville, which affected 138 people and lasted about two hours. The excessive heat took its toll on some area roadways. In Chester, Pennsylvania, the extreme heat caused a roadway "blow-up" on Interstate 95 near the Routes 320/352 interchange about 4 PM EDT on August 2nd. This resulted in the closing of the right and center lanes while repairs were made. Officials with PennDot said the underlying concrete topped with asphalt heaved in the center lane and possibly a portion of the right lane. The damaged area was about one lane wide, or 12 feet, and about three feet long. The several days of excessive heat unfortunately took its toll on some people across the Delaware and Lehigh Valley's. There were twenty-four heat related deaths. Among the twenty-one people who died from the heat in Philadelphia included: a 46 year old man from hyperthermia in Center City, a 59 year old man from heart disease and heat stress in North Philadelphia, a 15 year old girl from cerebral palsy and heat stress in West Philadelphia, a 91 year old woman from heart disease and heat stress in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia, a 53 year old man from heart disease, diabetes and heat stress in the Ivy Hill section of Philadelphia, a 61 year old man from heart disease and heat stress in Southwest Philadelphia, a 79 year old man from heart disease, diabetes and heat stress in Strawberry Mansion, and a 63 year old man from heart disease, diabetes and heat stress in Wissahickon section of Philadelphia. On August 2nd, a 74-year-old Reading, Pennsylvania (Berks County) man was found dead in his hot third-floor apartment on Buttonwood Street. He died of acute heart disease that was aggravated by the excessive heat. A 40-year-old Towamencin man (Montgomery County) died on the morning of August 3rd. The man had been drinking (alcohol-related problems) and decided to sleep outside on the back deck. A 69-year-old Conshohocken man died on August 3rd with underlying health problems, however there were no fans or air conditioning in the house and the windows were all closed.

A severe thunderstorm rumbled its way across Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania during the very early morning hours of July 28th. The strong winds that were generated by the thunderstorm pushed a tree onto a house on Afton Street in the Rhawnhurst section of the city around 12:34 AM EDT. Also, power lines were knocked down along Unrah Street.

The gust front from a severe thunderstorm complex moved through the entire city and caused tree and wire damage. Measured peak wind gusts included 68 mph in Roxborough (with considerable tree damage), 63 mph in Juniata Park and 55 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. PECO Energy reported 27,933 customers lost power in Philadelphia. Overall 482,068 of PECO's customers lost power in its southeastern Pennsylvania service area, the largest outage ever for a thunderstorm event in their history. It was their largest outage since Isabel in 2003.

A strong cold front moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the morning of the 14th. Gusty west winds followed in the wake of the front during the rest of the daytime hours. The gusty winds and unseasonably dry weather also helped wildfires spread quicker. Peak wind gusts averaged around 50 mph over the higher terrain and 45 mph at lower elevations. The strong winds did knock down some weaker trees and tree limbs. In Tredyffrin (Chester County), a tree fell across Berwyn Baptist Road. It took down power lines, a pole and damaged the outer fence of the Jenkins Arborteum. Peak wind gusts included 52 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 46 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 44 mph in Reading (Berks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

A quick moving low pressure system that moved through the Ohio Valley overnight on the first and reformed along the Middle Atlantic coast on the second caused a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain across Eastern Pennsylvania with the worst accretions of ice and snowfall accumulations from Chester County northward. From the Lehigh Valley southward, precipitation began as a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain including the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. EST on the second. Around the local Philadelphia area precipitation changed to plain rain by 10 a.m. EST. In the northern Philadelphia suburbs and Berks County precipitation did not change to plain rain in some locations until late that afternoon. In the Lehigh Valley, precipitation never changed to plain rain. It fell as sleet and freezing rain during the afternoon before it changed to snow before it ended early that evening. Across the Poconos precipitation started as snow around 6 a.m. EST on the 2nd. Precipitation changed to sleet and freezing rain around Noon EST and then changed back to snow during the second half of the afternoon. The snow ended late that evening. Snow accumulations averaged around two inches in the Poconos and less than one inch elsewhere. Ice accretions from Chester County northward averaged between one quarter and two-fifths of an inch. In locations that received the freezing rain, temperatures were at or just below freezing. The indirect insolation from the sun kept roadways wet and most of the ice accretions were on exposed surfaces as well as bridges and overpasses. Ice accretions did cause power outages in Palmerton (Carbon County). Numerous minor accidents were reported, mainly fender benders and vehicles sliding off roads. In the local Philadelphia area, most of the accidents were during the morning commute. Several flights were delayed or cancelled at the Philadelphia International Airport. In the Poconos, most of the accidents occurred during the evening commute. Planned township meetings that evening were cancelled. Actual snowfall accumulations included 2.5 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 2.3 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 2.1 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 1.6 inches in Palmerton (Carbon County) and 0.5 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County). Ice accretions from Chester County northward averaged one quarter of an inch and included three-eights of an inch in East Nantmeal Township (Chester County) and three-tenths of an inch in Palmerton (Carbon County). The wintry weather was caused by a low pressure system that moved east from central Missouri on the evening of the 1st, to Illinois around Midnight EST on the 2nd, into Ohio at sunrise on the 2nd. As the primary low pressure system moved into Pennsylvania early in the afternoon on the 2nd, a secondary low pressure system formed over Chesapeake Bay. By 4 p.m. EST that afternoon, the secondary low was as strong as the primary and was already about 150 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The low pressure system continued to move rapidly offshore overnight. The rapid movement of the low pressure system prevented heavier precipitation from occurring.

Damaging northwest winds followed along and a couple of hours after a strong cold frontal passage across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos during the late morning of the 17th. Lower velocity, but still strong winds continued into the afternoon. Elsewhere across Eastern Pennsylvania strong wind gusts also accompanied the cold front and persisted into the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged between 45 mph and 55 mph. Numerous downed trees and wires were reported in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Less widespread wind damage was reported elsewhere. In the Lehigh Valley, about 7,300 Pennsylvania Power and Light homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by the morning of the 18th. In Berks County, about 4,000 homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by 830 p.m. EST that evening. In Reading, a piece of a tin roof blew away from the rear of an apartment house and was suspended on utility poles on the adjacent street. Downed trees or wires closed roads in Cumru and Richmond Townships and Shillington Borough. In Montgomery County, a downed tree crushed a truck in Norristown. Peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 51 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Reading (Berks County), 49 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 45 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 44 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 40 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County). The strong to high winds were caused by the pressure difference between an intensifying low pressure system that went northeast through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a strong high pressure system that was building east from the Northern Plains.

A major winter storm affected the northeastern United States, including the northern mid Atlantic region, during Saturday February 11th and Sunday February 12th. An area of low pressure developed along the Gulf Coast states on Friday February 10th, and began moving to the northeast toward the North Carolina coast during February 11th. Snow overspread the region around 11 AM EST on Saturday from south to north. The precipitation initially was relatively light with temperatures either at or above freezing. The snow really increased in intensity across eastern Pennsylvania around Midnight EST on Sunday the 12th and around 2 AM EST in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The snow gradually ended from southwest to northeast around Noon EST on the 12th. The snow fell steadily and became heavy at times in many areas late Saturday night and Sunday morning. The last strong band of snow passed through during the mid morning hours on Sunday. During this strengthening storm, a good portion of the region experienced intense snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour. These intense snowfall rates mainly occurred during Sunday morning the 12th as the storm really intensified off the Delaware and southeast New Jersey Coasts. During the height of the storm on Sunday morning the 12th, thunder and lightning occurred as the snow fell. The presence of this thundersnow just goes to show how energetic this storm became. Also, winds gusted to about 40 mph. The gusty winds, coupled with the falling and accumulated snow, produced near whiteout conditions along with drifting snow across a good portion of the area. The storm moved away from the region on Sunday afternoon the 12th, allowing the accumulating snow to come to an end. The February 11-12, 2006 winter storm was blamed for several vehicle accidents across the region. During the height of the storm, intense snowfall rates occurred which when accompanied by gusty winds, produced near whiteout conditions in several locations. Minor accidents occurred the night of the 11th and the morning of the 12th throughout the Lehigh Valley with no injuries reported. Traffic was snarled on Route 100 between Route 401 and in West Chester (Chester County) due to icy spots on the morning of the 13th, with one accident (minor) reported at Route 100 and Route 113 (morning of the 13th). In Montgomery County, slippery conditions contributed to two cars colliding along Route 202 on the 12th in Upper Merion. Several minor car accidents occurred in Towamencin during the morning of the 12th due to slippery conditions. One car flipped onto its side Monday morning (the 13th) in Upper Moreland due to some slippery conditions, with no injuries reported. In Bucks County, Interstate 95 South in Bristol Township was backed up for more than 1.5 miles around 9 AM EST (the 12th) after a vehicle overturned, due to slippery conditions just south of the Route 413 exit. The heavy snow, coupled with wind gusts between 35 and 40 mph across eastern Pennsylvania during the height of the storm early Sunday morning (the 12th), downed some trees and power lines. About a total of 10,000 PECO customers (7,000 in Bucks County) in the Philadelphia metropolitan (five county area) area lost power during the weekend storm, including some power outages in Chester County Sunday morning (the 12th). Most of the outages were restored by late Sunday afternoon (the 12th).This winter storm also took a toll on some humans as well. A homeless man was found deceased in a Philadelphia parking garage during the storm, and it was determined that he died from hypothermia and bone cancer. A 53-year old Elkins Park (Montgomery County) man died from a heart attack while shoveling snow on the 12th. A 48-year old Flourtown (Montgomery County) woman died from hypothermia Saturday night (the 11th). The winter storm was blamed for a rash of assault cases (domestic related) in Bucks County, two on Saturday (the 11th) and six on Sunday (the 12th).This winter storm impacted schools, transportation as well as other activities. A State of Emergency was declared in Bensalem (Bucks County), and school activities were postponed on the 11th and 12th across Bucks County. In Yeadon (Delaware County), a snow emergency was declared for the 12th into the morning of the 13th, and in Media (Delaware County) a snow emergency was also issued. Most of the Lehigh Valley schools had a 2-hour delay Monday morning (the 13th) to allow for additional storm clean-up. Most schools in Bucks and Montgomery Counties began two hours late on the 13th to allow for additional storm clean-up, however some other schools cancelled classes. Widespread SEPTA delays occurred on the 12th, and the Philadelphia International Airport had about 40 percent arrivals and departures cancelled on the 12th, and about half on the 12th. About 40 percent of flights were cancelled on the 12th at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Delta Airlines cancelled flights at the Philadelphia International Airport; Continental, Northwest and American Airlines cancelled many flights to the Philadelphia International Airport during the night of the 11th. Churches cancelled services on the 12th in and around Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phantoms hockey team postponed Sunday's (the 12th) game as the team could not get home from Chicago back to Philadelphia, due to the winter storm. Some sport games were even moved up in start times on the 11th in Chester (Delaware County) due to the winter storm.Some specific snowfall amounts include, 20.5 inches in West Caln Township (Chester County), 18.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County), 17.5 inches in Quakertown (Bucks County), 17.0 inches in Drexel Hill (Delaware County), 17 inches in Ambler (Montgomery County), 16.5 inches in Royersford (Montgomery County), 16.0 inches in Exton (Chester County), 16.0 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 16.0 inches in Roxborough (Philadelphia County), 15.2 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport (Lehigh County), 15.0 inches in Aston (Delaware County), 15.0 inches in Lansdale (Montgomery County), 14 inches in Fricks (Bucks County), 14.0 inches in Alburtis (Lehigh County), 13.0 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County), 12.5 inches in Center City Philadelphia (Philadelphia County), 12.0 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia County), 12.0 inches in Boyertown (Berks County), 12.0 inches in Hanover Township (Northampton County), 11.2 inches in Reading (Berks County), 8.0 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 6.5 inches in Germansville (Lehigh County), and 4.0 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County).

Strong to high southeast winds during the early morning and strong west winds during the late morning and afternoon buffeted Eastern Pennsylvania. Peak wind gusts averaged near 60 mph during the early morning in the local Philadelphia area and around 50 mph elsewhere during the early morning and in all places during the westerly flow in the late morning and afternoon. The morning winds downed trees and power lines and caused traveling delays during the morning rush due to closed roads. Garbage and recycling pails were strewn. Like the strong to high winds on the 14th and 15th the wet ground and in this case a different wind direction (southeast) during the early morning made it easier for trees to be uprooted. About 120,000 homes and businesses lost power in Eastern Pennsylvania with the greatest concentration (95,000) in the PECO Energy service area in and around Philadelphia. The downed trees caused major delays and disruptions on the commuter rail lines in Suburban Philadelphia. The SEPTA R-5 line between Thorndale (Delaware County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), the R-2 line in Willow Grove (Montgomery County) and the R-3 West Trenton Line (in Bucks County) all had fallen tree problems.In Bucks County, in Perkasie one person was injured by a downed tree. Two trees fell onto a home. U.S. Route 202 was closed near Solebury. Schools in Bensalem and Warminster Townships were closed due to power failures. In Montgomery County, the roof was lifted from a home in Norristown. The siding was also stripped from the home. Two adults and three children were displaced. The Marlborough Township School district cancelled classes. Half of the PECO Energy outages occurred in Montgomery County. In the Lehigh Valley, about 18,250 homes and businesses lost power. Downed trees caused road closures in Upper Saucon Township (Lehigh County) and in Lower Nazareth and Lower Mount Bethel Townships. Measured wind gusts included 53 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 39 mph in Reading (Berks County). The strong and high winds were caused by an increasing southeasterly low level jet preceding a cold front during the early morning of the 18th. This feature intensified further east and caused the most damage once it reached New Jersey. The cold front moved through Eastern Pennsylvania between 7 a.m. EST and 10 a.m. EST on the 18th and strong west winds occurred behind the front from late in the morning through most of the afternoon before they diminished at night.

A slow moving and intense low pressure system combined with a high pressure ridge across the Mississippi Valley to produce a prolonged period of strong to high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania from the second half of the afternoon on the 14th through the late afternoon on the 15th. The strongest wind gusts occurred between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST on the 15th. The persistent strong winds combined with ground that was wet and not frozen ground caused more tree damage than normally would be the case. Numerous downed trees and limbs consequently helped snap poles, bring lines down and caused numerous power outages. Pennsylvania Power and Light, Metropolitan Edison and PECO Energy reported about 205,000 of their customers throughout Eastern Pennsylvania lost power. It took until the 17th for all power to be restored. The high and strong winds also peeled roofs and gutters from several structures. Several homes and businesses were also damaged by downed trees. Roads were closed by downed trees. No serious injuries were reported. In Carbon County, in Lansdale three roofs were peeled from connected homes. In Lehighton, siding, pieces of roofs and gutters were stripped from a few homes. A playhouse was totally leveled by a downed tree. About 8,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Monroe County, four trees fell on one home in Stroud Township. About 28,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Northampton County, there were about 175 reports of downed trees. Large outages were reported in Bath, Bangor, Upper Mount Bethel and Nazareth. A Red Cross shelter was opened in Upper Mount Bethel to help several families. Pennsylvania Power and Light and Metropolitan Edison reported about 67,000 homes and businesses lost power in the Lehigh Valley. In Berks County, the 12 foot spire atop the Albright College Chapel in Reading was toppled. In Hamburg, the winds blew off a section of a warehouse roof. It also knocked the bricks from the facade of another building. In Windsor Township, the light standard of a vehicle dealership fell on and damaged four vehicles. In Marion Township, the wind knocked over a portable heater in a barn which ignited the straw. The barn was destroyed. In Delaware County, in Marple Township, a seven year old boy narrowly escaped serious injury when an uprooted 125 foot oak tree fell into his bedroom. In Ridley Township, the roof of Our Lady Queen of Peace Elementary School was pushed upward to form a peak. Debris was scattered on the playground. In Upper Providence Township, the Media bypass was closed by a downed tree. In Bucks County, a woman was trapped in her vehicle in Bensalem Township by downed wires. A couple of roads were closed in Bucks and Montgomery Counties by downed trees. PECO Energy reported about 45,000 homes and businesses lost power in the local Philadelphia area. Specific wind gusts included 61 mph in Tobyhanna (Monroe County) and Downingtown (Chester County), 55 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 53 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 51 mph in Reading (Berks County), 49 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 46 mph in West Chester (Chester County) and 45 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). The intense low pressure system that was responsible for the winds moved from the Delaware Valley during the early afternoon on the 14th, to the New Jersey coast at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th, onto Long Island at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th, in the New England coastal waters east of Massachusetts at 7 a.m. EST on the 15th and into Nova Scotia by early in the afternoon on the 15th. As the low pressure system exited Nova Scotia and the high pressure system built east into the Ohio Valley, winds started diminishing during the late afternoon on the 15th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of large tree limbs and wires in the northeastern part of Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 30,000 of its customers in southeastern Pennsylvania lost power including the city of Philadelphia.

The last prolonged run of excessive heat of the summer matched the late July one for both temperatures and relative humidity levels. High temperatures on the 13th and 14th (the two hottest days) reached well into the 90s and afternoon heat indices those two days reached as high as 105 to 110 degrees around the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Many utilities set weekend usage records (the two hottest days were on Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th). PECO Energy's record weekend energy usage of 7,856 megawatts blasted the previous record of 7,202 megawatts set in August of 2002. Pennsylvania Power and Light asked industrial customers to reduce electricity consumption. This was the sixth time this summer that Montgomery County issued a code red because of the heat. The heat also caused two more deaths within the city of Philadelphia. The excessive heat also led to three patrons attending the Musikfest in Bethlehem (Northampton County) to be treated for heat exhaustion. The excessive heat ended as a strong cold front moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the night of the 14th. Highest temperatures during the current hot spell included 98 degrees in Perkasie (Bucks County), Easton (Northampton County), Valley Forge and West Chester (Chester County), 97 degrees at both the Philadelphia International Airport and the Lehigh Valley International Airport as well as in Reading (Berks County), 96 degrees in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), Coatesville (Chester County), Springtown (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County), 95 degrees in Lancaster (Lancaster County) and Hamburg (Berks County) and 94 degrees in Willow Grove (Montgomery County)The unseasonably hot start to the first half of August helped cement it as not only as one of the ten warmest Augusts on record, but also one of the ten hottest summers on record. At the Philadelphia International Airport, the August monthly mean temperature of 79.6 degrees was the fourth warmest August on record and the summer average temperature of 77.8 degrees was the fifth warmest summer on record. At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the August monthly mean temperature of 75.5 degrees tied 1983 as the 3rd warmest August on record and the summer average temperature of 74.6 degrees was the second warmest summer on record. Statewide in Pennsylvania, results were similar. On a statewide average, it was 9th warmest August on record and the third warmest summer on record.

Another run of unseasonably hot weather affected eastern Pennsylvania from August 2nd through the 5th. High temperatures reached at least into the mid 90s each afternoon. The heat resulted in five more heat related deaths (4 in Philadelphia, 1 in Montgomery County). Hospitals saw an increase in cases of heat exhaustion and respiratory related illnesses. Even some of the Philadelphia Eagles were affected by the heat as they had to cut their practices short at Lehigh University. Seeking relief from the heat helped cause the drowning of a 17 year-old boy in Upper Providence Township (Montgomery County). He was swimming with his friends in the Perkiomen Creek in Lower Perkiomen Valley Park when he drowned. Once again the city of Philadelphia declared a code red as outreach teams helped the homeless by offering them cold water and air conditioned shelters to escape the heat. The PJM Interconnection Electricity Grid Operator asked for public conservation of electricity. The excessive heat did put a strain on electrical systems and caused widely scattered power outages in Berks County.A weak cold front moved through eastern Pennsylvania during the night of the 5th and brought temporary relief from the heat and humidity. Highest temperatures included 98 degrees in West Chester (Chester County) and Easton (Northampton County), 96 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport, Reading (Berks County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 95 degrees in Doylestown and Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and 93 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County).

The gust front associated with a line of severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts up to 63 mph within Philadelphia and downed about 100 trees throughout the city particularly in the northwest and northeast part of the city. The downed trees caused power outages. A Skywarn spotter measured a wind gust of 63 mph in Roxborough. About 9,000 homes and businesses lost power in Philadelphia. Power was not fully restored until the 28th.

The most hottest and humid air mass of the summer so far occupied Eastern Pennsylvania from the 25th through the 27th. This air mass had as its origin the desert southwest in the United States and a ridge of high pressure aloft brought this air mass east with it through the rest of the country. The hottest and most humid day was the 27th. This was the hottest day of the year so far for most places and the highest temperatures seen in many areas since August of 2002. The combination of high temperatures and humidity levels pushed afternoon heat indices to between 105 and 110 degrees around the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area on the 27th. Five elderly persons succumbed to the heat within Philadelphia and two elderly persons died because of the heat in Montgomery County. Most were found in homes with no working air conditioners or air conditioners at all. But, an 88-year-old woman in Pottstown (Montgomery County) was found dead slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle in a shopping center. The car doors and windows were closed. Hospitals saw an increase in the number of patients complaining about dizziness, allergies and breathing difficulties. Schools in Philadelphia whether they had air conditioning or not dismissed the children early. Delaware Park cancelled their horse racing card on the 27th. Outdoor activities for prisoners in Philadelphia were cancelled. The PJM Interconnection recorded a world record for electricity usage on the 26th: 135,000 megawatts. The PJM coordinates the movement of electricity in Pennsylvania and twelve other states from North Carolina to Illinois. On the 27th, PJM lowered voltage to certain customers by five percent due to the stress on the high voltage lines. Locally PECO Energy (in and around Philadelphia) established back-to-back record usage days of 8,209 megawatts in an hour on the 26th and 8,329 megawatt in an hour on the 27th. Both surpassed the previous record of 8,164 megawatts set in August of 2002. The utility also established an all-time daily record usage of 165.7 million kilowatts surpassing the previous record of 163 million kilowatts set in July of 1999. Other utilities also set new usage records including Metropolitan Edison (2,792 megawatts in an hour) and Pennsylvania Power and Light (7,035 megawatts in an hour). The excessive heat activated special summer heat programs in Philadelphia. Homes of the elderly were visited by field teams, "The Heatline" was activated by the Philadelphia Corporation for the Elderly, there was an enhanced daytime outreach for the homeless and the buddy system to check on the elderly was activated. Chester County distributed all the available fans they had to the elderly. Delaware County encouraged the elderly to visit their senior citizen centers. In the Lehigh Valley, free rides were given on air-conditioned buses by the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority. A code red was declared by Montgomery County. People were not the only ones suffering as repair shops were swamped with air-conditioning repairs for vehicles. Farmers were also noting that livestock was also affected by the heat as they were not eating much and were not gaining weight and/or producing less milk.A cold front abruptly ended the hot weather as it moved through the eastern part of the state late in the afternoon and early in the evening on the 27th. The highest temperatures included 98 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and West Chester (Chester County), 96 degrees in Doylestown (Bucks County), 95 degrees in Reading (Berks County), 94 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 93 degrees in Forks Township (Northampton County).

Heavy rain associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy fell across southeastern Pennsylvania on the morning of the 8th. The rain itself started during the late evening of the 7th and ended during the afternoon of the 8th. Storm totals averaged around two inches. The heavy rain caused poor drainage and roadway flooding, but did not fall in a concentrated burst. Thus no serious stream or river flooding was reported except for the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek in Chester County. The combination of the heavy rain and northeast winds gusting around 20 to 30 mph knocked down a few weak trees and limbs and caused power outages. In the Lehigh Valley, about 4,600 homes and businesses lost power for a few hours because of downed limbs. In Montgomery County, in Lower Gwynedd Township, a downed tree forced the closure of U.S. Route 309 for five hours.Specific storm totals included 2.47 inches in Eagleville (Montgomery County), 2.34 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 2.09 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 2.01 inches in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), 1.98 inches in Washington's Crossing (Bucks County), 1.94 inches in Bernville (Berks County), 1.93 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 1.85 inches in Bechtelsville (Berks County), 1.71 inches in Reading (Berks County), 1.65 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County) and 1.61 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy moved from near Atlanta, Georgia at 8 a.m. EDT on the 7th northeast to near Washington, D.C. at 8 a.m. EDT on the 8th, lower Delaware at 2 p.m. EDT on the 8th and about 100 miles east of Atlantic City at 8 p.m. EDT on the 8th.

The first run of unseasonably hot and humid weather for the summer season on June 13th and 14th caused a few heat related deaths within Philadelphia and early dismissals for many schools that did not have air conditioners. Within Philadelphia, a 69-year-old woman, a 74-year old woman and a 76-year-old man were found dead within their respective homes. They all either had no air conditioning or did not turn the unit on. On June 14th, PECO Energy usage of 7,800 megawatts exceeded the energy usage of any day during the summer of 2004. Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) came within 101 megawatts of their old time usage record on June 14th. To help combat the heat, the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging distributed fans. In Chester County, the Salvation Army in conjunction with the Department of Aging Services delivered electric fans to seniors. The highest temperatures during this heat spell included 94 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport and Valley Forge (Chester County), 93 degrees in Reading and Hamburg (Berks County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 92 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County), Perkasie (Bucks County) and West Chester (Chester County), 91 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Coatesville (Chester County) and Lancaster (Lancaster County). The 94 degree high temperature at the Philadelphia International Airport was one degree higher than the highest temperature for all of 2004. The hot and humid spell came to an end when a cold front moved through the region on the morning of the 15th. While some locations reached into the lower 90s that day, afternoon humidity levels were considerably lower.

A severe thunderstorm tore down trees and wires in and around the Richmond section of Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 60,000 homes and businesses lost power throughout its southeastern Pennsylvania service area including Philadelphia. Most of the power was restored by 2 p.m. EDT the next day (the 7th).

A severe thunderstorm tore through Philadelphia, knocked down several trees and a large tent and caused one injury. At Philadelphia International Airport, the wind gusted to 69 mph. One person was injured when the damaging winds caused a large outdoor tent to collapse at the Rock Lobster Club on Christopher Columbus Boulevard. Numerous trees were knocked down along U.S. Route 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard). PECO Energy reported about 20,000 of its customers lost power because of the severe thunderstorms in its southeastern Pennsylvania service area including Philadelphia County.

In addition to the snow, strong gusty northwest winds developed during the afternoon and evening of the 8th as a low pressure system intensified off the Middle Atlantic and New England States. Wind gusts averaged 45 to 50 mph and caused isolated power outages throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. In Uwchlan Township (Chester County) a wind downed tree caused high tension wires to fall onto a vehicle and trapped the driver. The downed wires damaged two other vehicles. The strong winds also blew snow back onto already cleared or salted roads. Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Downingtown (Chester County), 48 mph in Northeast Philadelphia and Doylestown (Bucks County), 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 46 mph in Reading (Berks County) and 43 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The strong winds were caused by a rapidly intensifying low pressure system that developed on the cold front during the morning of the 8th. The low moved northeast and was an already intense 986 mb near Danville, Virginia at 7 a.m. EST on the 8th. From there it continued to move northeast and deepened to a 978 mb low just east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey at 1 p.m. EST on the 8th, to a 970 mb low over Nantucket Island, Massachusetts at 7 p.m. EST on the 8th to a 964 mb low just southwest of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at 1 a.m. EST on the 9th.

Heavy snow fell across Eastern Pennsylvania from the late morning of February 28th into the morning of March 1st. Snow began during the late morning of February 28th around the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and spread north and reached the Poconos during the early afternoon. Heavier bands of accumulating snow moved through the eastern part of the state during the afternoon and evening of February 28th. The snow ended across the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area before the sun rose on the 1st and ended during the morning in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Accumulations averaged 6 to 12 inches. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. Many schools dismissed children early on February 28th, a few cancelled classes altogether. Some employers let their workers go home early. Many state offices closed at 1 p.m. EST on February 28th. About 30 percent of all flights from Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled. Untreated roads became slippery especially as the afternoon and evening wore on and temperatures dropped. Many after school activities and classes as well as municipal and school board meetings were cancelled. Many schools had delayed openings on the 1st. In Carbon County, schools were closed on the 1st.The snow and slippery roads led to several serious accidents on major roadways. In Philadelphia, the eastbound Schuylkill Expressway was closed during the latter part of the evening commute at the University Avenue exit after a four vehicle accident. On the Vine Street Expressway, a paratransit bus was involved in an accident and several serious injuries ensued. In Northampton County, westbound Interstate 78 was closed for most of the evening after two tractor-trailers collided. In Nazareth (Northampton County), a vehicle struck a utility pole and caused outages to 1,000 homes and businesses. Similarly, about 1,000 homes and businesses in northwestern Reading (Berks County) lost power after a vehicle struck another utility pole. Dozens of accidents occurred throughout Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Specific accumulations included 12.0 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 10.8 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 10.1 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 10.0 inches in Albrightsville and Lehighton (Carbon County) and Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 9.5 inches in Unionville (Chester County), 9.3 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 9.0 inches in Stony Run (Berks County), 8.7 inches in Glenmoore and West Chester (Chester County), 8.5 inches in Bechtelsville (Berks County) and Hatboro (Montgomery County), 8.3 inches in Orefield (Lehigh County), 8.2 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 8.0 inches in Southampton (Bucks County) and Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 7.5 inches in Wayne and Havertown (Delaware County), 7.2 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 7.0 inches in Jackson Township (Monroe County), 6.8 inches in Exton (Chester County), 6.7 inches in Easton (Northampton County), 6.5 inches in Hamburg (Berks County) and Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 6.1 inches in Somerton (Philadelphia County), 6.0 inches in Fricks (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 5.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.The heavy snow was caused by a true northeaster. A low pressure system developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday February 27th. It moved northeast and already was a 995 millibar low pressure system when it was near Jacksonville, Florida at 7 p.m. EST on February 27th. It moved northeast and deepened to a 992 millibar low near Charleston, South Carolina at 1 a.m. EST on February 28th, a 990 millibar low near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on February 28th, a 984 millibar low just east of Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 1 p.m. EST on February 28th, a 980 millibar low about 150 miles east of Fenwick Island, Delaware at 7 p.m. EST on February 28th and still a 980 millibar low about 250 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey at 1 a.m. EST on the 1st.

Heavy snow fell across Eastern Pennsylvania from the late morning of the 28th into the morning of March 1st. Snow began during the late morning of the 28th around the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and spread north and reached the Poconos during the early afternoon. Heavier bands of accumulating snow moved through the eastern part of the state during the afternoon and evening of the 28th. The snow ended across the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area before the sun rose on March 1st and ended during the morning in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Accumulations averaged 6 to 12 inches. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies. Many schools dismissed children early on the 28th, a few cancelled classes altogether. Some employers let their workers go home early. Many state offices closed at 1 p.m. EST on the 28th. About 30 percent of all flights from Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled. Untreated roads became slippery especially as the afternoon and evening wore on and temperatures dropped. Many after school activities and classes as well as municipal and school board meetings were cancelled. Many schools had delayed openings on March 1st. In Carbon County, schools were closed on March 1st.The snow and slippery roads led to several serious accidents on major roadways. In Philadelphia, the eastbound Schuylkill Expressway was closed during the latter part of the evening commute at the University Avenue exit after a four vehicle accident. On the Vine Street Expressway, a paratransit bus was involved in an accident and several serious injuries ensued. In Northampton County, westbound Interstate 78 was closed for most of the evening after two tractor-trailers collided. In Nazareth (Northampton County), a vehicle struck a utility pole and caused outages to 1,000 homes and businesses. Similarly, about 1,000 homes and businesses in northwestern Reading (Berks County) lost power after a vehicle struck another utility pole. Dozens of accidents occurred throughout Berks, Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Specific accumulations included 12.0 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 10.8 inches in Springtown (Bucks County), 10.1 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 10.0 inches in Albrightsville and Lehighton (Carbon County) and Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 9.5 inches in Unionville (Chester County), 9.3 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 9.0 inches in Stony Run (Berks County), 8.7 inches in Glenmoore and West Chester (Chester County), 8.5 inches in Bechtelsville (Berks County) and Hatboro (Montgomery County), 8.3 inches in Orefield (Lehigh County), 8.2 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 8.0 inches in Southampton (Bucks County) and Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 7.5 inches in Wayne and Havertown (Delaware County), 7.2 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 7.0 inches in Jackson Township (Monroe County), 6.8 inches in Exton (Chester County), 6.7 inches in Easton (Northampton County), 6.5 inches in Hamburg (Berks County) and Chadds Ford (Delaware County), 6.1 inches in Somerton (Philadelphia County), 6.0 inches in Fricks (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 5.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.The heavy snow was caused by a true northeaster. A low pressure system developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday February 27th. It moved northeast and already was a 995 millibar low pressure system when it was near Jacksonville, Florida at 7 p.m. EST on the 27th. It moved northeast and deepened to a 992 millibar low near Charleston, South Carolina at 1 a.m. EST on the 28th, a 990 millibar low near Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 28th, a 984 millibar low just east of Elizabeth City, North Carolina at 1 p.m. EST on the 28th, a 980 millibar low about 150 miles east of Fenwick Island, Delaware at 7 p.m. EST on the 28th and still a 980 millibar low about 250 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey at 1 a.m. EST on March 1st.

A very potent Alberta low pressure system dropped heavy snow cross Eastern Pennsylvania on the 22nd and 23rd. Accumulations ranged from 8 to 16 inches with the highest amounts in Montgomery, Philadelphia and Bucks Counties. A 55-year-old woman from Limerick (Montgomery County) died from hypothermia after she tripped and fell in her driveway and could not get up. Snow began falling during the late morning of the 22nd, fell at its heaviest during the second half of the afternoon and early part of the evening of the 22nd. The snow ended during the morning of the 23rd, except in the Poconos where it lingered into the afternoon. Gusty northwest winds which followed in the wake of the storm caused considerable drifting snow and hampered road crews efforts as drifts continued to form on roads through the night of the 23rd. The unseasonably cold weather also rendered the salt less effective. The heavy snow caused the closure of Philadelphia International Airport for the first time in 9 years since the Blizzard of January 1996. Many sporting, community events and church services were cancelled. Museums and malls closed early. Prior to the snows arrival many supermarkets and video stores were reporting record sales. Snow emergencies were declared by many municipalities. Several men died from heart attacks while shoveling snow in Montgomery County. Many businesses never opened on Sunday the 23rd. But, the snow was cleared in time for the NFC Championship game to be played against the Eagles and Falcons during the afternoon of the 23rd. Many schools were closed on the 24th. The remainder that opened had delayed openings. The number of traffic accidents were held down because this event occurred over a weekend. The biggest problems were vehicles that became stuck on roadways. Nevertheless, there were two reported fatal accidents. A 42-year-old man died in a two vehicle crash in Hereford Township (Berks County) after he lost control of his vehicle on Pennsylvania State Route 100 and spun into oncoming traffic. In Carbon County, a man died after he drove his car into a wall. For the first time in 9 years, Philadelphia International Airport was closed for about 5 hours on the 22nd. Eight hundred passengers were stranded. Only half of the normal flights left the airport on the 23rd. Around the city, about 50 SEPTA bus routes were detoured. Homeless people were sheltered as code blues were continued. Even on the 24th, regional rail lines had delays of up to 30 minutes. Several SEPTA bus routes were still detoured. In the Lehigh Valley, the International Airport remained open, but numerous flights were cancelled. In Palmer Township, (Northampton County) an elderly man was rescued from the Bushkill Creek after his pick-up truck skidded off the road into the creek. The snow complicated a fire that tore through two historic buildings in Bethlehem (Northampton County). The fire destroyed the roofs, interior and upstairs of two businesses. Three firefighters were injured. In the Lehigh Valley, pre-schools, nursery schools and day care centers were closed on the 24th. In the Poconos, the low temperature of 10 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono before the arrival of the snow was the lowest reading of the winter. The snow also complicated a house that was burned in Ross Township.Specific snowfall accumulations 15.8 inches in Yardley (Bucks County), 14.9 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County), 13.6 inches in Radnor (Delaware County), 13.5 inches in Conshohocken (Montgomery County), 13.4 inches in northeast Philadelphia, 13.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Langhorne (Bucks County), 12.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 12.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County) and Easton (Northampton County), 11.8 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County), 11.5 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 11.0 inches in Boothwyn (Delaware County), Palm and Green Lane (Montgomery County) and Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 10.6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 10.2 inches in Germansville (Lehigh County), 10.0 inches in Morgantown (Berks County) and Pocono Summit (Monroe County) and 8.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County) The winter storm was caused by a very powerful Alberta low pressure system. This type of low rarely produce snowfalls of this intensity. This low moved southeast from eastern Montana on the morning of the 21st to southern Minnesota on the evening of the 21st to near Dayton, Ohio around sunrise on the 22nd. It then moved to just south of Erie, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of the 22nd. A secondary low pressure system formed over lower Chesapeake Bay on the afternoon of the 22nd. It would become the main low over the next twelve hours as it intensified over the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It deepened quickly as it passed near the Nantucket, Massachusetts buoy at 7 a.m. EST on the 23rd.

Strong southeast and then west winds affected eastern Pennsylvania throughout the afternoon of the 23rd. The strongest winds in the Poconos preceded the cold frontal passage during the first half of the afternoon. Elsewhere the strongest winds coincided with the cold frontal passage between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST that afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph. The winds pushed over some weak trees and tree limbs. The recent run of wet weather made trees more susceptible to being uprooted by the strong winds. In Berks County, a barn collapsed in Robeson Township. In Montgomery County, the strong winds knocked down an old two-story barn in Hatfield Township. A stretch of County Line Road was closed because of the barn debris. In Doylestown, a downed tree limb snapped a live power line to the ground. A Doylestown firefighter suffered a minor shock when he entered an apartment near the live wire and touched the hot water heater. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania in the PECO Energy service area. In the Lehigh Valley, several neighborhoods lost power. Fire fighters were called to four transformer fires. Peak wind gusts included 47 mph at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (Lackawanna County), 41 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 40 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The combination of a rapidly intensifying low pressure system and a strong cold frontal passage produced peak wind gusts of around 50 mph across Eastern Pennsylvania during the second half of the morning and throughout most of the afternoon of the 1st. The peak wind gusts occurred from the time of the cold frontal passage (between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. EST) into the first half of the afternoon. A 50-year-old man was killed by a fallen tree in Montgomery County. Numerous weaker trees and limbs and subsequently power lines were knocked down. The wind strewed garbage and recycling pails. The wind damage was exacerbated by the recent wet weather which made the ground soft and the prolonged duration of the stronger winds. Over 100,000 homes and businesses lost power across Eastern Pennsylvania. In the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan area, in Whitemarsh Township (Montgomery County), a 50-year-old man was crushed and killed by a fallen pine tree on Caramoor Farm. PECO Energy reported about 103,000 of its customers lost power due to the downed trees, tree limbs and wires. The breakdown was approximately 39,500 in Delaware County, 26,500 in Chester County, 22,000 in Montgomery County, 9,000 in Bucks County and 6,000 within Philadelphia. All power was restored by the 2nd. In Philadelphia, construction material debris was blown off a Center City building. No injuries were reported. Trees were downed along the Schuylkill Expressway. In Montgomery County, some of the longer outages occurred in Springfield Township. In Hatfield Township, a house fire was caused by a toppled tree. The tree pulled down a power line which caused a power surge into the home's basement. In Delaware County, downed trees caused road closures in Chester Heights Borough and Newtown Township. In Newtown, a downed wire ignited a fire in the front yard of one home. A couple of schools dismissed children early because they lost power. In Chester County, a transformer fire occurred in East Bradford Township after its pole was knocked over. Many traffic lights were out throughout the county.In the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, about 15,500 homes and businesses lost power. The strong winds ripped off a 100-foot by 40-foot section of bricks along the north wall of the Wachovia Bank Building in downtown Bethlehem (Northampton County). Several vehicles were damaged and the building was evacuated for safety reasons. In Northampton County, power outages were reported, in Bath, Bangor, Bethlehem, Easton, Nazareth and Upper Mount Bethel. Outages in Lehigh County, outages were concentrated within Allentown.Peak wind gusts (from the west) included 58 mph in Downingtown (Chester County), 53 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 52 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, Mount Pocono (Monroe County), Reading (Berks County) and Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 51 mph in London Grove (Chester County), 48 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 46 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 45 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County). The winds were caused by the surface pressure difference (gradient) between a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States and an intensifying low pressure system that moved northeast through the Saint Lawrence Valley on the 1st. The strongest winds aloft occurred during the daytime hours and this coincided with the maximum daytime heating. The turbulent mixing that normally occurs when these two conditions coincide, efficiently mixed the stronger winds to the ground.

A strong southeast flow preceding a cold front produced strong winds across Eastern Pennsylvania during the first half of the day on the 28th. The combination of strong winds and the heavy rain knocked down numerous trees and power lines and caused outages. The greatest number of outages were concentrated in the Lehigh Valley. The strong winds damaged the roof trusses at the construction site of the new Forks Township (Northampton County) firehouse. The electrical and plumbing work inside the unfinished fire station was damaged when the trusses fell inside the building. In Northampton County, power outages occurred in Wind Gap, Wilson, Pen Argyl, Plainfield, Palmer, Raubsville, Lower Saucon and Upper Mount Bethel. All power was restored that evening. Elsewhere, in Kintnersville (Bucks County), a tree fell on a power substation and caused about 600 people to lose power. Peak wind gusts included 39 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport. The strong southeast winds preceded the cold frontal passage. The cold front moved east from central Indiana at 7 p.m. EST on the 27th to central Ohio at 1 a.m. EST on the 28th, to western Pennsylvania at 7 a.m. EST on the 28th and into eastern New Jersey at 1 p.m. EST on the 28th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down a couple of trees and wires in Philadelphia, mainly near the Delaware County border. PECO Energy reported about 11,000 homes and businesses lost power in their service area.

A squall line of severe thunderstorms knocked down several small trees in the south side of Philadelphia. About 500 homes and businesses lost power.

Thunderstorms with torrential downpours caused widespread creek, basement and poor drainage flooding in Philadelphia. Doppler Radar storm total estimates reached between 3 and 4 inches in the northwestern part of the city centered around Roxborough and West Mount Airy. There was also a major disruption in nearly every transportation system during the morning of the 1st. Around 400 homes were damaged and 18 businesses suffered major damage. Nearly 200 people were evacuated, mainly from the Kensington section of the city. Emergency services responded to 1,075 incidents mainly rescuing people from their homes or vehicles. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged or submerged. Municipal property damage was estimated at 15.3 million dollars. PECO Energy reported about 35,000 homes and businesses lost power in their service area including Philadelphia. On August 5th, Governor Ed Rendell declared a state of disaster in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This cleared the way for victims to receive federal funding. This also permitted the state to allocate more resources toward the recovery effort and waived the normal contract and bid process for clean-up efforts. On August 6th, President George W. Bush declared Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery Counties disaster areas. This enabled residents and businesses to apply for federal funding. The eastbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway at the Conshohocken Curve were blocked by over four feet of mud. The expressway remained closed for most of the day. All SEPTA regional rail lines and the Broad Street subway were closed during the morning. Sump pumps malfunctioned along the flooded Vine Expressway and Interstate 95. Philadelphia International Airport had hour-long delays throughout the morning. Vehicles were swept into the flooding Cobbs and Tacony Creeks and clogged the waterways. Homes and businesses were flooded in the Germantown, Kensington, Mount Airy, North Philadelphia, Overbrook and Roxborough sections of the city. In some instances, entire basements and parts of the first floor were flooded. Sofas, chairs, rugs and appliances were all ruined. In East Mount Airy, water and gas service was shut to about 100 homes after a huge sink hole formed. The retaining wall at the Roosevelt Middle School collapsed and blocked one road. Flooding waters along Cobbs Creek (bordering Delaware County) contained raw sewage. A couple of fire engines were stuck in its flood waters. In Chestnut Hill, the macadam was stripped from a couple of roads. Extensive damage occurred within Fairmount Park (about an estimated $5 million dollars) as trails, park vehicles and Forbidden Drive's banks were swept away. Two bridges over the Cresheim Creek were badly damaged. In addition to Fairmount Park, municipal damage occurred to the city's water department, streets, vehicles and gas works. In addition, a couple of golf courses were closed for about a week because of flood damage. The Frankford Creek at Castor Avenue was above its 7 foot flood stage from 750 a.m. through 1126 a.m. EDT on the 1st. It crested at a RECORD BREAKING 12.93 feet at 845 a.m. EDT. The Wissahickon Creek at its mouth near the Schuylkill River was above its 5 foot flood stage from 739 a.m. through 653 p.m. EDT on the 1st. It crested at 8.24 feet at 815 a.m. EDT. The Pennypack Creek at the Rhawn Street Bridge was above its 7 foot flood stage from 1106 a.m. through 343 p.m. EDT on the 1st. It crested at 7.86 feet. While not gaged, flooding also occurred along the Cobbs, Cresheim and Tacony Creeks. Storm totals included 5.30 inches in Roxborough, 1.70 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.54 inches at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

A series of thunderstorms with very heavy rain caused widespread poor drainage as well as creek flooding in Philadelphia. Between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT on the 12th at least one quarter of an inch of rain fell every hour at the Philadelphia International Airport. Kelly Drive was closed. The Frankford, Pennypack and Wissahickon Creeks all flooded several times with each burst of heavy rain during the day and evening. The Frankford Creek at Castor Avenue was above its 7 foot flood stage thrice from 1051 a.m. through 651 p.m. EDT on the 12th. The highest crest was 10.14 feet at 5 p.m. EDT. The Pennypack Creek at the Rhawn Street Bridge was above its flood stage twice from 117 p.m. EDT through 1026 p.m. EDT on the 12th. The highest crest was 9.18 feet at 545 p.m. EDT. The Wissahickon Creek at its mouth was above its 5 foot flood stage twice from 425 p.m. EDT through 836 EDT on the 12th. Its highest crest was 5.48 feet at 445 p.m. EDT. The heavy rain loosened the soil and caused trees to topple over and take down power lines. About 10,000 homes and businesses in the PECO Energy service area lost power including Philadelphia. Storm totals included 5.10 inches at the Franklin Institute, 4.86 inches at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport and 4.68 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. Thunderstorms formed and continued to reform north of a nearly stationary front over the Delmarva Peninsula.

For the second time in the same work week snow, some of it heavy, fell across Eastern Pennsylvania. Snow began falling during the late evening on the 18th. The exception was in and near Philadelphia where precipitation started as rain. As the precipitation intensity increased, the rain changed over to snow in and around Philadelphia between 1230 a.m. EST and 2 a.m. EST on the 19th. Snow fell heavy at times toward sunrise before it ended during the morning. Accumulations ranged between two and eight inches in most locations. Accumulations were also elevation dependent with higher amounts in the higher terrain, especially closer to Philadelphia. The highest amounts occurred from Berks County northeast into the Poconos. Many schools had delayed openings.In Berks County, the weight of the heavy, wet snow pulled down tree limbs and power lines. About 2,500 homes and businesses lost power in Birdsboro and Nolde Forest because of downed limbs. Pennsylvania State Route 625 in Cumru Township was closed because of the downed trees. The number of accidents overall were less than what occurred with the snow on the 16th as most of it, including the heaviest snow, fell overnight. One of the worst reported accidents was on Interstate 176 in Berks County. The northbound lanes were closed after a 34-year-old woman was seriously injured after her Sports Utility Vehicle spun around, went up an embankment, rolled over and landed upright on the roadway.Specific accumulations included 9.0 inches in Pricetown (Berks County), 8.3 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 8.0 inches in Vinemont and Boyertown (Berks County), 7.6 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 7.5 inches in Springtown (Bucks County ), 7.0 inches in East Nantmeal Township (Chester County) and Williams Township (Northampton County), 6.5 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County), Pocono Summit (Monroe County) and Salisbury (Lehigh County), 6.3 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in Reading (Berks County), Albrightsville (Carbon County), Eagleview (Montgomery County), Easton (Northampton County) and Perkasie (Bucks County), 5.5 inches in Emmaus (Lehigh County), 5.0 inches in Fricks (Bucks County), 4.6 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 4.5 inches in Newtown Square and Rosemont (Delaware County), 4.2 inches in Bensalem (Bucks County), 4.0 inches in Honey Brook (Chester County), 3.8 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 3.5 inches in Media (Delaware County) and Ambler (Montgomery County), 3.0 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Exton (Chester County), 2.2 inches in West Chester (Chester County) and 1.9 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure systems that caused the snow moved from Alberta, Canada and western Texas the morning of the 17th, into Wisconsin and Oklahoma on the morning of the 18th. During the afternoon of the 18th, the southern stream low pressure system had moved into the Ohio Valley and started the process of becoming the main system as the second low weakened in Wisconsin. By 1 a.m. EST on the 19th, a consolidated low pressure system was located in far northwestern Virginia. This low moved east and was over the Delmarva Peninsula coastal waters on the morning of the 19th and then scooted east to about 275 miles east of Philadelphia at 1 p.m. EST on the 19th.

A late winter storm dropped heavy snow in the Poconos and Northampton County, a wintry mix in Berks and Lehigh Counties and snow to rain across the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area on the 16th. Numerous accidents occurred with one known fatality. Even after precipitation stopped, black ice formed the morning of the 17th and caused more traffic accidents with at least one other fatality. Snow spread from south to north during the morning of the 16th. As warmer air moved in from the Atlantic Ocean, precipitation changed to rain in the greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area during the early afternoon of the 16th. Farther inland across upper sections of Chester, Montgomery and Bucks Counties as well as in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain fell from the middle of the afternoon into the early evening before it ended in the northern Philadelphia Suburbs. Across Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, precipitation changed back to snow during the early evening before it ended later that evening on the 16th. In the Poconos, precipitation fell mainly as snow, as some sleet occurred during the afternoon. The snow ended shortly after midnight EST on the 17th. Accumulations ranged from two to eight inches, with the highest amounts in Northampton County and the Poconos. Scattered power outages also occurred. Most were caused by vehicles striking poles. Many schools dismissed children early from the Philadelphia suburbs north. After school academic and sports programs were cancelled. The worst reported accidents were in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley. In Berks County, a 53-year-old man died in Upper Bern Township when he lost control of his pickup truck on westbound Interstate 78, hit the center barrier, spun out of control and was hit by a tractor-trailer. Elsewhere in Berks County, a 21-year-old female driver was critically injured when her car collided with a tractor-trailer on Pennsylvania State Route 61 in Perry Township. A driver was extricated from a five vehicle crash site on U.S. Route 422 in Douglass Township. A school bus in Boyertown skidded off a road and struck some tree limbs. No children were injured. In Earl, a school bus crashed into some tree limbs and one boy suffered a head injury. In Buckingham Township (Bucks County), a bus skidded into a ditch, but the children were not hurt. In Haycock Township (Bucks County), a woman drove into a tree that was knocked down by the weight of the snow and ice. As bad as traffic was during the snow, more serious accidents occurred the next morning when black ice formed. In Bristol Township (Bucks County), a 32-year-old man died on Interstate 95 after his vehicle skidded uncontrollably near the Neshaminy Creek Bridge and slammed into the corner of a flatbed truck. Five persons were injured, one critically in an eight vehicle accident on U.S. Route 1 in Middletown (Township). The road was closed for two and a half hours. In North Coventry Township (Chester County), a five vehicle accident on Pennsylvania State Route 100 caused two serious injuries.Specific accumulations included 8.0 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 7.5 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County), 7.2 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County) and Springtown (Bucks County), 7.1 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 7.0 inches in Lansford (Carbon County), 6.4 inches in Easton (Northampton County), 6.3 inches in Camelback (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in Fredericksville (Berks County), 5.5 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 5.1 inches in Trappe (Montgomery County), 5.0 inches in Palm (Montgomery County) and Hamburg (Berks County) and Salisbury (Lehigh County), 4.6 inches in Wyomissing (Berks County), 4.5 inches in Sellersville (Bucks County), 4.4 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 4.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 3.9 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County), 3.4 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), 3.0 inches in Neshaminy (Bucks County), 2.8 inches in Conshohocken (Montgomery County), 2.1 inches in Valley Forge (Chester County) and 1.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure system responsible for the snow moved from the Central Plains the morning of the 15th, east to Kansas City, Missouri during the early evening of the 15th, moved through the Tennessee Valley during the first half of the day on the 16th and reached West Virginia during the early afternoon of the 16th. A secondary low pressure system then developed on the low's warm front near Norfolk, Virginia and became the primary low pressure system by early in the evening on the 16th when it was just east of Wallops Island, Virginia. The secondary low pressure system moved quickly offshore and was southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts by 1 a.m. EST on the 17th.

A low pressure system from the Gulf of Mexico brought a winter storm of snow, sleet and freezing rain to Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos and a lighter mix of wintry precipitation throughout the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania. In the Poconos, snowfall accumulations averaged 1 to 3 inches, but ice accretions reached half an inch. Pine trees were bending to the ground in Saylorsburg (Monroe County). In Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, snowfall accumulations were generally less than half an inch and ice accretions averaged around half an inch. Elsewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania, there was little if any snow and ice accretions were less than one quarter of an inch. Precipitation started as light snow throughout Eastern Pennsylvania around midnight EST on the 6th. Precipitation changed to sleet and freezing rain around 3 a.m. EST, except it took until 7 a.m. EST in the Poconos. Precipitation changed to plain rain in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. EST and between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. EST in Berks County and the northwest Philadelphia suburbs. The change to plain rain took until around Noon EST in the Lehigh Valley and most of the afternoon to work its way through the Poconos. Temperatures during the day were marginal for freezing rain (barely below freezing) and this coupled with the indirect insolation from the sun kept ice accretions down. The worst traveling conditions occurred during the pre-dawn and morning hours. Many accidents involved single vehicles than spun around, overturned or rolled into ditches. In Berks County, a woman suffered a serious head injury when her vehicle overturned in Maxatawny Township. In Bethel Borough, a 15-year-old girl was flown to Hershey Medical Center after a vehicle she was a passenger in spun out of control on Pennsylvania State Route 501 and she was thrown out a side door as the vehicle slid down a fifteen foot embankment into a tree. Both Pennsylvania State Routes 10 and 724 were closed because of icy conditions and accidents in Robeson and Cumru Townships. Other road closures in Berks County occurred in Ontelaunee and Upper Tulpehocken Townships. Many schools had delayed openings or were closed all together as close to Philadelphia as its northwestern suburbs. It was the sixth day of the winter that schools were closed in Allentown (Lehigh County). In Berks County, about 9,000 homes and businesses lost power in Birdsboro and Shillington as ice-ladened tree limbs took down power lines. All power was restored by the evening of the 6th. The low pressure system responsible for the wintry weather developed in the western Gulf of Mexico on the 5th. It moved northeast reaching the Tennessee Valley on the evening of the 5th and into the Great Lakes on the morning of the 6th. Its associated warm front moved north from the Carolinas on the morning of the 6th into the lower Delmarva Peninsula during the afternoon of the 6th before stalling. The occluded front associated with the primary low pressure system (It went northeast from the Great Lakes through the Saint Lawrence River Valley.) moved through the region during the night of the 6th. The initial cold air near the surface was provided by a high pressure system from Eastern Canada. It moved offshore overnight on the 5th and during the day on the 6th as the southeast flow around it brought in warmer air from the Atlantic Ocean into the region. But, it took most of the day for the warmer air near the ground to reach the Poconos.

Following the departing Alberta Clipper low pressure system, another arctic air mass invaded Pennsylvania. While temperatures were slightly higher than the previous outbreak on the 10th and 11th, winds were stronger and the wind chill factors were lower. Another Philadelphian lost his life because of the extreme cold. Most low temperatures were in the single numbers (They were some readings below zero in the Poconos) and the lowest hourly wind chill factors averaged between fifteen degrees and thirty degrees below zero. This second arctic outbreak set some electrical and gas usage records for area utilities. A Philadelphia man was found dead on railroad tracks within the city. His body temperature dropped to 67 degrees. The unseasonably cold weather was a dangerous situation for the homeless as well as for the elderly who could not afford to heat their homes. There was another dramatic increase in phone calls to social services by individuals who have run out of heat or could not afford to pay their utility bills. PECO Energy set a new winter time usage record of 6,450 megawatts surpassing the old record of 6,346 megawatts on January 23, 2003. The utility also came close to setting a new gas usage record. Pennsylvania Power and Light set a new all-time usage record of 7,549 megawatts surpassing the previous record of 7,155 megawatts on January 23, 2003. The cold weather caused additional schools and community centers to be opened as shelters. This was exacerbated in Monroe County when power outages in Brodheadsville, Effort and Saylorsburg caused the county to open temporary shelters in Brodheadsville and Long Pond. Many municipalities declared code blues to assist the homeless. Teams went outside to locate homeless people and get them to shelters. The unseasonably cold weather caused many pipes to freeze and burst both inside and outside of structures as well as a higher occurrence of water main breaks. Plumbers and heating repair services had twenty-four hours worth of work. In the Lehigh Valley the cold weather caused many schools, universities and daycare centers to have delayed openings. Senior citizen centers, food banks and meals on wheels were cancelled in the valley. Bus service was also delayed. In Carbon County, a burst pipe damaged a Penn Kidder Township School. In Berks County, a burst pipe flooded the Boyertown school's gymnasium with three inches of water. The cold weather also led to another increase in workload in hospital emergency rooms. Fire fighters were having problems battling blazes as the water quickly turned to ice. In some instances the water was freezing in hoses and the trucks. Fire fighters were injured slipping and falling on the ice. There was a higher incidence of chimney fires and a general shortage of firewood. Many vehicles were not starting because of dead batteries. Specific low temperatures included 12 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 9 degrees below zero at the Pocono Mountain Municipal Airport, 3 degrees below zero in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and Lehighton (Carbon County), 1 degree in Valley Forge (Chester County) and Doylestown (Bucks County), 2 degrees in Green Lane (Montgomery County), 3 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Hamburg (Berks County), 4 degrees in Reading (Berks County) and Media (Delaware County) and 7 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport. The arctic air mass came barreling behind the departing Alberta Clipper low pressure system on the 15th. The low deepened explosively as it moved offshore and the pressure gradient between it and the building high pressure system brought the lowest wind chill factors of the winter into Pennsylvania. The high pressure ridge moved from the Red River and Upper Mississippi Valleys on the morning of the 15th, to the Great Lakes and nearby Canada on the morning of the 16th and into Pennsylvania and New York on the morning of the 17th. The core of the coldest air moved through the region during the night of the 15th with the lowest temperatures occurring between Midnight EST and 6 a.m. EST on the 16th. Lowest hourly wind chill factors included 32 degrees below zero in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 23 degrees below zero at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 19 degrees below zero in Doylestown (Bucks County) and 14 degrees below zero at the Philadelphia International Airport. This second arctic outbreak cemented January as an unseasonably cold month. At the Philadelphia International Airport, the monthly mean temperature of 26.1 degrees was 6.2 degrees colder than normal. It was the 13th coldest January on record and the coldest January since 1982. To add further to the discomfort, it was also the windiest January in Philadelphia in 12 years with an average wind speed of 12.3 miles per hour. At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the 22.0 degree monthly mean temperature was 5.1 degrees colder than normal. It was the 10th coldest January on record and the coldest January since 1994.

The combination of a high pressure system over nearby New England and a low pressure system moving northeast along the Eastern Seaboard produced a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain in Eastern Pennsylvania. While precipitation changed to plain rain during the afternoon in southeastern Pennsylvania, the cold air could not be scoured from Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. This caused up to half an inch of ice to accrue. Hazardous driving conditions and scattered power outages resulted. Precipitation began as snow across the region during the early morning. As warmer air moved in aloft from the southeast and south, the snow changed to freezing rain and sleet in Philadelphia around 10 a.m. EST. This change spread north to Berks County by Noon EST, the Lehigh Valley by 2 p.m. EST and the Poconos by 3 p.m. EST. The change to plain rain occurred in Philadelphia around Noon EST, Doylestown (Bucks County) at 130 p.m. EST and Pottstown (Montgomery County) at 230 p.m. EST. It took until 10 p.m. EST for the change to plain rain to occur in Reading (Berks County).Temperatures remained below freezing farther north and precipitation never changed from freezing rain to plain rain. Snow accumulations were 1 to 4 inches, with up to 8 inches reported in the Poconos. Ice accretions were less than one-tenth of an inch in Philadelphia, around two-tenths of an inch in the northern Philadelphia suburbs and around half an inch in Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Numerous accidents were reported. In Allentown, five accidents occurred within 30 minutes when the freezing rain began. The wind instrumentation froze at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. A few flights were cancelled. About 3,000 homes and businesses lost power as the ice took down some trees and poles. In Berks County, in South Heidelberg Township, about 1,000 homes and businesses lost power when a tree fell onto a power line. In Longswamp Township, several hundred people lost power on the 15th after three trees collapsed from the weight of the ice. In Northampton County, a pole collapsed onto an Easton House. All power was restored by the evening of the 15th. Schools in Allentown were closed on the 15th. Other schools either cancelled classes or had delayed openings in Bucks, Carbon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Monroe and Northampton Counties. Specific accumulations included 8.0 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 5.5 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 5.0 inches in Tobyhanna and half an inch of ice (Monroe County), 4.2 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 3.4 inches in Williams Township and six-tenths of an inch of ice (Northampton County), 3.0 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 2.0 inches in Phoenixville (Chester County) and Conshohocken (Montgomery County), 1.3 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and 1.2 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm went from near Mobile, Alabama at 7 p.m. EST on the 13th, northeast to just east of Wilmington, North Carolina at 7 a.m. EST on the 14th, near Norfolk at 1 p.m. EST on the 14th, in the lower Chesapeake Bay at 4 p.m. EST, in Delaware Bay at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th, near Hammonton, New Jersey at 10 p.m. EST on the 14th and just south of Jones Beach, New York at 1 a.m. EST on the 15th. The high pressure system that locked in the cold air near the surface retreated from Maine at 7 a.m. EST on the 14th to Nova Scotia at 7 p.m. EST on the 14th.

A northeaster dropped heavy snow across all of eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning of the 5th into the day on the 6th. Snow spread from south to north across the region during the first half of the day on the 5th. It decreased in intensity from the late afternoon of the 5th into the predawn hours on the 6th. During this time, the snow mixed with some sleet in and around Philadelphia. Snow increased in intensity again during the morning and early afternoon on the 6th before it ended from southwest to northeast during the afternoon. Accumulations averaged between 6 and 12 inches. Ironically the heavy snow wreaked havoc with holiday parades, festivals and tree lightning ceremonies scheduled for the 5th and 6th. Many schools dismissed early. Many after school and weekend school activities were cancelled. High school football championship games as well as other sports activities were postponed. Even some college football games were postponed. Numerous accidents were reported. Drivers skidded helplessly into curbs, medians, ditches and other vehicles especially on overpasses and hills. Power outages were caused by drivers hitting poles. Ten minute commutes were taking one hour. So many accidents were reported around Philadelphia that a traffic reporter called it a $500 deductible day. Bus routes were either cancelled or rerouted. The college entrance SAT exams on the 6th were postponed. The winter storm put a big dent in the holiday shopping on Saturday the 6th. Some stores never opened. Hospitals had a difficult time getting their employees to and from work. Libraries were closed. Many municipalities declared snow emergencies to help clear the roads for plowing. On the 5th, about 10 percent of all flights leaving or arriving from Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled. The plows had a hard time keeping back roads with northwestern exposure clear on the weekend (6th and 7th) as strong winds blew the snow back on the road. Even sports utility vehicles were getting stuck in the drifts. In Lehigh County, in Lower Macungie Township, two school children suffered minor injuries after a school bus skidded on ice while negotiating a curve. A state trooper was injured after his vehicle was struck while investigating another accident on U.S. 22 near Airport Road. In Berks County, four major roadways including U.S. Route 222 were closed. In Maxatawny Township, a teenager was critically injured and trapped in his vehicle for over one hour. In Upper Bern Township, a 78-year-old woman was critically injured after her vehicle collided with a jackknifed tractor trailer on westbound Interstate 78 on the 6th. The road was closed for two hours. In Chester County, seven people were hospitalized after a minivan crashed into a fuel truck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Upper Uwchlan Township. There were 30 accidents on the Turnpike in Chester County. In Bucks County, in Upper Makefield Township, a minivan on Pennsylvania State Route 532 struck a guardrail and hit a school bus. No one on the bus was injured, by the driver and the three-year-old in the minivan were. Emergency crews had difficulties reaching traffic accidents on Interstate 95. A plow took down a pole and caused power outages to 1100 homes and businesses in Springfield Township. Specific accumulations included 12.4 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 12.0 inches in Furlong (Bucks County) and Germansville (Lehigh County), 11.6 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 11.5 inches in Leesport (Berks County), 11.3 inches in Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 11.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), Glenmoore (Chester County) and Wayne (Delaware County), 10.5 inches in Northeast Philadelphia, 10.2 inches in Palm (Montgomery County), 10.0 inches in Ontelaunee Township (Berks County), 9.5 inches in Morgantown (Berks County) and Blue Bell (Montgomery County), 9.0 inches in Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County) and Lehigh Valley International Airport, 8.5 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 8.4 inches in Clifton Heights (Delaware County), 8.0 inches in Kunkletown (Carbon County), 6.7 inches in Valley Forge (Chester County), 6.4 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and 4.8 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The Northeaster was over the Gulf Coast States the morning of the 4th. It moved northeast to near Cape Hatteras the morning of the 5th, was just east of the Virginia Capes the evening of the 5th, just east of Atlantic City the morning of the 6th and near Nantucket during the evening of the 6th. The heaviest precipitation fell during two sections of this storm. The first came during the first half of the day on the 5th as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean were lifted over the region. The second came during the morning of the 6th as the upper air system supporting the northeaster moved across the region.

Gusty northwest winds around an intensifying low pressure system produced wind gusts to around 45 mph during the afternoon of the 29th in Eastern Pennsylvania. In Monroe County, in Brodheadsville, shingles were torn away from one home. Glass was shattered at another home. Pennsylvania State Route 715 was closed because of downed trees and wires. In Carbon County, much of Hauto lost power. In Berks County, about 2,500 homes and businesses lost power, with the greatest concentration in and around Hamburg. In Montgomery County in Upper Merion Township, a snapped pole caused power outages that affected nearby businesses. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 45 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), 44 mph in Reading (Berks County), 43 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 41 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 40 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County). The strong winds were caused by the difference in surface pressure between a powerful (about 975 millibars) low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence River Valley and a high pressure system building northeast from the Gulf Coast States.

Strong south to southeast winds preceding an approaching cold front knocked down several trees, numerous tree limbs and wires in Eastern Pennsylvania. The wind damage was then further exacerbated in Chester County by a line of severe thunderstorms. In Philadelphia, three workers were injured when the wind knocked down a tarp and scaffolding on Arch Street. Two workers fell forty feet and the third worker was struck by debris. One worker broke his shoulder, the other two suffered cuts and bruises. Five vehicles on the street were damaged. In Upper Darby Township (Delaware County), the wind blew debris from the roof of the Tower Theater. After school activities in Delaware County were cancelled. About 500 homes and businesses in Delaware County lost power. Several trees and numerous limbs were knocked down in Bucks and Montgomery Townships. About 14,000 homes and businesses lost power in Bucks County and another 8,200 in Montgomery County. In Lehigh County, about 1,500 homes and businesses lost power. In Carbon County, a downed tree caused power outages to 1,500 homes and businesses in Jim Thorpe. A canopy was knocked down onto a parked van in Lehighton. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 45 mph in Gladwyne (Montgomery County) and 40 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

The combination of a rapidly deepening low pressure system moving through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building in from the Plains States produced high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania. The strongest winds occurred during two time periods: in the morning shortly after the low pressure system's cold frontal passage and during the afternoon. The peak wind gusts of the event mainly occurred during the afternoon. A Lehigh County man was killed by a fallen tree. A few other persons were injured by downed trees. A couple of buildings collapsed. Numerous trees, tree limbs, transformers and wires were knocked down and damaged homes and vehicles. Scattered transformer fires occurred. In some instances poles were snapped. Numerous roads were closed including some major roadways. The afternoon and evening commute was difficult because of many closed roads. Emergency personnel had the added problem with road closures because the high winds were blowing away the plastic and wood road barriers. Shingles, chimney covers, gutters and siding were ripped from houses and fences were damaged by downed limbs and trees. Vehicles were damaged by fallen trees and/or flying debris. Awnings were torn away, store windows damaged, roadway business signs were knocked down as were overhead traffic signs and traffic signals. Trash and recycling cans were tossed in the middle of roads. Some schools had early dismissal because of the lost power and many scholastic games were cancelled. The high winds made it very difficult to fight fires. It also led to blow out tides at times of low tide during the evening of the 13th and 14th along tidal sections of the Delaware River and its tributaries. Flights were either delayed or cancelled at Lehigh Valley International Airport. PECO Energy reported about 154,000 of its customers lost power in southeastern Pennsylvania. Metropolitan Edison reported about 110,000 of its Pennsylvania customers lost power and Pennsylvania Power and Light reported about 47,600 outages. All power was restored by midnight of the 14th.In Lehigh County, a 55-year-old man died when a one foot diameter tree fell on his vehicle around the corner from his house in Upper Saucon Township. In South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania State Route 309 was closed for three hours. In Northampton County, in Easton, the high wind ripped away a six foot fiberglass slab from the Peace Candle in Center Square. A downed tree damaged the gutters and trellis of a home. Several homes in the College Hill section of the city were evacuated after a tree became unstable. Pennsylvania State Route 611 was closed and caused major traffic headaches in the city. In Bethlehem, a radio station lost power to its transmitter. In the Pennsville section of Lehigh Township the winds knocked down a wall of the Trading Post in the Indian Trail Park. The roof and another wall were taken down prior to the onset of the wind as part of a restoration project. The remaining walls had to be knocked down. The municipalities hit with the outages included Bangor Borough, Bethlehem, Easton and Wilson Borough. In Monroe County, Pennsylvania State Route 191 was closed. There were 20 emergency calls for downed trees in the county and about 22,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Berks County, in Laureldale Borough, a toppled four foot wide oak tree crushed a Sports Utility Vehicle. The mother walked away with just bumps on her head and a bruised leg. In Robeson Township, the wind tore a roof from a barn and partially tore a roof from another home. In Lower Alsace Township, a downed tree crushed the utility room roof of a house. The owner lost a truck to high winds the previous month. About 26,000 homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by early on the 15th. In Philadelphia, a worker was injured when a three story dwelling under renovation partially collapsed. The worker suffered head injuries after the rear and side of the building collapsed. The roof was peeled from a Leverington Avenue house. In Bucks County, in Upper Southampton Township, a woman was injured when a tree crashed into an upstairs bedroom. In Lower Southampton Township, a pole and transformer crushed a mobile home. In Falls Township, a portion of the maintenance building roof was peeled away. In Warminster Township, downed trees and wires tore meters off an apartment complex and forced evacuation. Most of New Hope Borough lost power. In Telford Borough, a free standing cinder block wall at the rear of the Eckerd Drug Store collapsed. In Delaware County, homes were damaged by fallen trees in Collingdale, Secane and Marple. Springfield Township opened a shelter because of lost power. A downed tree damaged the township's radio tower and forced the police to operate on emergency power. Downed poles forced the closure of U.S. 202 and 1 in Chadds Ford. In Montgomery County, all the downed trees and power lines forced Lower Pottsgrove Township to declare a state of emergency. A roof was blown from one building and debris closed a major roadway for the day. Other major roadway closures included U.S. Route 422 and Pennsylvania State Route 29. A downed tree struck a van on the Schuylkill Expressway near the Gladwyne Interchange. In Upper Moreland Township, a downed tree fell into a bedroom of one home. In Gilbertsville (Douglass Township), a large portion of a restaurant roof was blown away. The hardest hit municipalities with respect to power outages were North Wales and Plymouth Meeting. In Chester County, a wall under construction of a video store was knocked down in North Coventry Township. In West Fallowfield Township, a barn burned to the ground in the Cochranville area. It took firefighters three hours to put out the last vestiges of the fire as embers spread to a field. Grain, hay, three tractors and a truck were destroyed. A tree damaged a home in West Chester. The hardest hit municipality with respect to power outages were Coatesville and West Chester. Peak wind gusts included 60 mph in Glenside (Montgomery County), 59 mph in Downingtown (Chester County), 58 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 57 mph in Ontelaunee Township (Berks County), 54 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Reading (Berks County), 51 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 49 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), and 48 mph in Mount Pocono. The high winds were caused by the pressure difference between the low pressure system in the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system in the Central Plains. The low intensified from a 1004 millibar system over Lake Superior the morning of the 12th, to a 982 millibar low near Montreal the morning of the 13th to a 970 millibar low in the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River the morning of the 14th. Some strong wind gusts also occurred on the 14th and hampered power restoration work. Winds diminished for good during the evening of the 14th.

A strong westerly flow occurred across the Eastern Shore during the day on the 15th. It was caused by the pressure gradient (difference) between an intensifying low pressure system heading through the Saint Lawrence Valley and a high pressure system building east from the Lower Mississippi Valley. Peak wind gusts were around 50 mph. The strong winds knocked down hundreds of trees and wires throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and over 325,000 homes and businesses lost power in the state. This was an inordinate number of downed trees given the peak wind gusts. It was believed it was caused by the unseasonably wet weather which made it easier for the trees to be knocked down. In addition October was milder than normal to date and left more foliage on the trees than is typical for this time of year. Also, the winds were blowing in nearly an opposite direction to what occurred with Tropical Storm Isabel leaving ones with western exposure vulnerable to the winds this time. Lastly, the strong gusts persisted for a long period of time. The downed trees and wires damaged dozens of homes and scores of vehicles. No injuries though were reported. In Monroe and Carbon Counties, about 9,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Stroud Township (Monroe County) alone there were a dozen calls of downed trees. Main Street in Jim Thorpe (Carbon County) was without power through the afternoon of the 16th. Downed wires caused a couple of brief brush fires in Carbon County. In the Lehigh Valley, about 40,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light customers were without power. About half of the outages were in Allentown and Bethlehem. Damaged vehicles were reported in both cities. In addition, about 7,500 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power in the valley. All power was restored by the evening of the 16th. In Berks County, about 14,000 homes and businesses lost power, about one-third the number from Tropical Storm Isabel. A downed tree damaged a home in Birdsboro. Systemwide more than 130,000 Pennsylvania Power and Light and about 76,000 Metropolitan Edison customers lost power in Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, about 130,000 PECO Energy customers lost power: 50,000 in Bucks County, 40,000 in Montgomery County, 24,000 in Chester County and 15,000 in Delaware County. All power was restored by the afternoon of the 16th. While Bucks County had the most outages, they were mostly restored by the evening of the 15th. In Pottstown in Montgomery County, there were 25 calls of downed trees. Three streets were blocked. Numerous trees were knocked down also in Plymouth Township and Gladwyne (Upper Merion Township). In Chester County, Coatesville, Phoenixville and West Chester were hardest hit by downed trees. One home was damaged by a downed tree in West Chester. In Delaware County, Upper Darby Township was hit the hardest. Throughout the region downed wires caused delays on the SEPTA rail lines. Peak wind gusts included 51 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Lancaster (Lancaster County), 48 mph in Northeast Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley International Airport and the Scranton Regional Airport (Luzerne County), 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and 44 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County).

A powerful line of severe thunderstorms uprooted several trees in Philadelphia.

Tropical Storm Isabel produced strong power outage producing winds, moderate tidal flooding along the Delaware River and stream flooding in Chester County. Isabel made landfall as a hurricane near Drum Inlet, North Carolina around 100 p.m. EDT on the 18th and weakened as it tracked farther inland. At one time in its life cycle, it was a powerful Category 5 hurricane when it was north of the Leewood Islands. Winds gusted up to 60 mph in Eastern Pennsylvania and downed countless numbers of trees, tree limbs and power lines. It was the worst outage on record for PECO Energy in southeastern Pennsylvania. About 572,425 of its customers lost power. This exceeded the outages that occurred during the ice storm of January 1994. PECO Energy estimated it would cost at least $20 million dollars for it to install about 81 miles of new cable and install about 7,600 new fuses and circuit breakers. The large number of outages was not confined to the southeast part of the state. In Berks County, about 45,000 homes and business lost power. About sixty percent of Metropolitan Edison's 500,000 customers (including Berks County and the Lehigh Valley) lost power from 11,000 separate trouble spots. Pennsylvania Power and Light reported about 500,000 of its customers (including the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos) lost power. This broke their previous record during Tropical Storm Floyd by 150,000. Isabel's track took into western Pennsylvania and was able to funnel water into Delaware River and Bay. Moderate tidal flooding occurred. In Philadelphia, the tide crested at 9.47 feet above mean lower low water. The storm surge was 5.43 feet. The rain was not heavy and the only reported gaged stream flooding was in Chester County. The heaviest rain with tropical systems often falls west of its storm track, thus the region was spared from the heavier rain. Peak wind gusts included 60 mph in Forks Township (Northampton County), 49 at the Philadelphia International Airport and the Reading Regional Airport (Berks County), 47 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 46 mph at the Pocono Mountains Regional Airport (Monroe County). The Valley Creek at Valley Forge (Chester County) was above its 7 foot flood stage from 220 a.m. through 251 a.m. EDT on the 19th and crested at 7.26 feet at 230 a.m. EDT. Storm totals included 1.50 inches in Valley Forge (Chester County), 1.35 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County), 1.16 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 1.14 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 0.81 inches in Mount Pocono (Monroe County).

A severe thunderstorm tore down a couple of trees and numerous limbs and wires in Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 5,200 of its customers in Philadelphia lost power.

A severe thunderstorm pulled down a couple of trees and wires in the far northeast part of Philadelphia. About 150 PECO Electric customers lost power.

The gust front associated with a severe thunderstorm knocked down a few large trees in northern Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 79,000 of its customers lost power because of the thunderstorms and this included the city of Philadelphia.

A slow moving low pressure system at both the surface and aloft helped trigger very heavy rain across Philadelphia from the late morning into the afternoon 20th. Storm totals averaged around 1.5 inches, most of which fell during the afternoon at the rate of half an inch per hour. The heavy rain led to widespread poor drainage flooding as well as flooding of some of the gaged rivers and streams in the city. Even heavier rain fell upstream northwest of the city. The Wissahickon Creek at its mouth with the Schuylkill River was above its 5 foot flood stage from 807 p.m. EDT on the 20th through 145 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 5.33 feet at 11 p.m. EDT on the 20th. The Schuylkill River within Philadelphia was above its 11 foot flood stage from 245 a.m. EDT through 107 p.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 11.44 feet at 815 a.m. EDT. The water saturated soil and the general flooding caused trees to fall. About 29,000 PECO Energy customers lost power. No serious injuries were reported. Storm totals included 1.60 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.38 inches at the Franklin Institute.The low pressure system responsible for the heavy rain formed along a stationary front over the Carolinas during the morning of the 20th. It moved to just east of Wallops Island, Virginia during the evening of the 20th and well east of the Delmarva Peninsula during the morning of the 21st. An inverted trough at the surface that extended from the low north into Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Pennsylvania concentrated the heavy rain along its axis. June as a whole was an unseasonably wet month. On a county weighted average, June monthly precipitation totals averaged 7.1 inches in Philadelphia. Normal is around 3.6 inches. The June monthly precipitation total of 8.08 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport was the second wettest on record. The wet spring weather led to a whole different set of problems from the drought of the previous year. Garden shops sales have been down. Pool installations were about three to six weeks behind. Ant infestations increased. Windshield wipers were tearing. Many spring athletic seasons were extended because of postponed events. There will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes. Attendance along the shore and at amusement parks was down. Road work was delayed. The one few positives from the wet weather was lower utility bills.

The most powerful storm to affect Eastern Pennsylvania since the Blizzard of 1996 struck during the President's Day Weekend. Snow began falling around daybreak on Sunday the 16th in and around Philadelphia and then spread slowly north. It reached Reading around 9 a.m. EST, the Lehigh Valley during the early afternoon and the Poconos toward sunset. The heaviest snow fell in Philadelphia and its suburbs during the day into the early evening of the 16th. The snow mixed with sleet in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties from the evening of the 16th through the morning of the 17th. The heaviest snow in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley fell during the first half of the day on the 17th and in the Poconos it fell from the morning into the early afternoon of the 17th. Precipitation ended as snow in all areas during the afternoon of the 17th. Governor Ed Rendell declared a state of emergency early on the 17th which made state agencies available for assistance. It also freed counties from spending restrictions and allowed routes to be closed to non-emergency vehicles. The state also issued a travel advisory asking people to stay off the roads. Many municipalities (including Philadelphia) declared their own snow emergencies which banned non-essential travel and parking on snow emergency routes. There were two snow related deaths within Philadelphia. In the southeastern part of the state, area malls closed early on the 16th and churches cancelled services. The weight of the snow caused several roof and porch collapses throughout the region, particularly around Philadelphia where the snow mixed with sleet. Most malls and shopping centers were closed on the 17th as many employees could not get to work. Funerals and elective surgical procedures were cancelled. Businesses, universities and government offices started to reopen on Tuesday the 18th, but most schools remained closed. Organizers had to postpone scheduled events. Even the girl scouts could not deliver their cookies. Life returned closer to normal as the week continued. Volunteers helped hospital personnel get to and from work. Blood supplies though were down to about one day. Numerous accidents occurred in the southeast part of the state during the morning of the 16th. After that, the timing of the storm (during the holiday weekend) kept the number of accidents and rescues down. The fluffy nature of the snow led to few power outages. Most were caused by vehicles crashing into utility poles.In Philadelphia, a partially buried man was found in a snow pile on the 17th. On the 21st, a 79-year-old woman was killed after a snow packed aluminum patio roof collapsed on her. On the 19th, a 24-year-old man was injured when his leg was trapped under the debris of a porch collapse. The worst building collapse occurred to a warehouse near the old Navy Yard. Damage to the roof and goods was 3.5 million dollars. Philadelphia International Airport remained open on the 16th, but closed on the 17th and stranded about 600 passengers at the airport. The Greyhound bus terminal closed on the 17th. SEPTA regional rail lines ran on weekend schedules through Tuesday the 18th. About 400,000 tons of snow was dumped into the Schuylkill River. The city estimated snow removal cost about 8 million dollars. It took until the 18th to plow side streets. The worst accident of the storm occurred early on the 16th as six vehicles collided near Academy Drive on Interstate 95. In Delaware County, all trolley and bus routes were closed through the 18th as were schools and county offices. Snowmobiles were used to rescue trapped motorists. In Chester County, a major accident during the early afternoon of the 16th closed the eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Morgantown and Downingtown for three hours. In Montgomery County, in Conshohocken, two people were killed in an early morning fire on the 17th. Firefighters were hampered by the ongoing storm. Lengthy delays occurred on the 16th on U.S. Route 422, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Northeast Extension to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A string of porch collapses occurred on the 19th in Norristown. In Bucks County, a woman died of a heart attack. Emergency personnel could not reach her. The eastbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Philadelphia Interchange was shut down during the afternoon of the 16th because of a multi-vehicle accident that set a couple of them ablaze. In Nockamixon and Bridgeton Townships, an avalanche closed a mile of River Road. Several drivers were stranded and had to be rescued. The snow was 10 feet high on the roadway. In the Lehigh Valley, even police cruisers were getting stuck in the snow. Non-four wheel drive vehicles could not move. The Lehigh Valley International Airport remained opened, but most flights were canceled. There was no public transportation on the 17th. Specific accumulations included 26.0 inches in Saylorsburg (Monroe County), 25.5 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 24.5 inches in Byberry (Philadelphia County), 24.1 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 24.0 inches in Hamburg (Berks County), Worcester Township (Montgomery County), 22.5 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 22.5 inches in Vinemont (Berks County), 22.0 inches in Easton, (Northampton County), Reading (Berks County) and Allentown (Lehigh County), 21.5 inches in Thorndale (Chester County), 21.0 inches in Manayunk (Philadelphia County), Downingtown (Chester County) and Collingdale (Delaware County), 20.0 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, in Haverford (Delaware County), Morgantown (Berks County), Albrightsville and Lehighton (Carbon County) and Chalfont (Bucks County), 19.0 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County), 18.7 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, 18.0 inches in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 17.0 inches in Exton (Chester County) and Crum Creek (Delaware County) and 16.3 inches in Bensalem (Bucks County). The low pressure system which helped cause the heavy snow formed to the lee of the southern Rockies on the 14th. It moved to southern Missouri by the morning of the 15th, the lower Tennessee Valley the morning of the 16th, reformed off the Virginia coast the morning of the 17th and was southeast of Cape Cod on the 18th. Of equal or greater importance was a large high pressure system that moved over nearby Canada and northern New England throughout this event. This locked very cold air in place, slowed the low pressure system down and prevented it from going farther north thus leaving Eastern Pennsylvania on the snowier side of the system. Warm air did move in aloft between 5,000 and 10,000 feet and was the reason the snow changed to sleet during the evening and overnight on the 16th as far north as Philadelphia.

A strong cold front moved through Pennsylvania during the morning of the 12th. Gusty west winds accompanied the cold frontal passage and continued for several hours into the first half of the afternoon. Peak wind gusts averaged around 45 mph. Scattered snow squalls accompanied the cold frontal passage and caused whiteout conditions with many accidents during the morning commute. Snowfall accumulations were under half an inch. But the combination of poor visibilities, quick icing on roadways as temperatures were below freezing and coinciding with the morning commute, led to many accidents. Throughout the day, there was blowing and drifting snow, especially on roadways with western exposure. In Berks County, in Oley Township two men (76 years old and 74 years old) died in a head-on collision at 11 a.m. EST. The driver of the allegedly speeding pick-up truck lost control of his vehicle when he came upon a snow drift while traveling southbound on County Route 662. His pick-up truck struck a van in the northbound lane. Also in Berks County, a 34-year-old woman was killed at 930 a.m. EST on Pennsylvania State Route 29 in Hereford Township when her vehicle struck a utility pole after spinning out of control. Interstate 176 was snow covered from Morgantown northward. The strong winds knocked down tree limbs in Maiden Creek and Greenwich Townships. About 1,100 homes and businesses lost power in the morning and power was restored by noon EST. In Montgomery County, a section of U.S. Route 422 was closed near Royersford due to many minor accidents, disabled vehicles, snow drifts and vehicles stuck in ditches. Drifts were also reported on Pennsylvania State Route 73. In Bucks County, there were 50 accidents alone along U.S. Route 1. Thirty vehicles within the county were involved in nine accidents within thirty minutes. In Lower Makefield Township, one road was closed due to icy conditions. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County), 46 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 45 mph at the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia International Airports, 43 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and 41 mph in Reading (Berks County).

The first winter storm of the season dropped between six and ten inches of snow across Eastern Pennsylvania. In the immediate Philadelphia area, this was more snow than fell all of last winter. Snow spread from south to north between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST across the region. The heaviest snow fell between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST and fell at lighter rates until it ended during the evening of the 5th. Schools were canceled.The first winter storm of the season which also coincided with a work day (Thursday) caused over one thousand accidents and large traffic jams on the interstates and expressways. Hundreds of other vehicles skidded into ditches. Government offices, courthouses, shopping malls and businesses all closed early. The city of Philadelphia declared a SnowCat4, its most severe winter storm designation. About one quarter of all arriving and departing flights at Philadelphia International Airport were cancelled. Flights were delayed up to three hours. There were a few flight cancellations at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Around the Philadelphia area, about 10,000 PECO customers lost power, mainly from vehicles crashing into poles. Two crashes alone caused power outages to 4,000 customers. A tractor trailer crash in Coopersburg (Lehigh County) caused 1,800 PPL customers to also lose power. Otherwise, the snow was very powdery and caused few power line problems. In the Philadelphia area, a jackknifed tractor trailer in the southbound lanes of the Northeast Extension slowed the entire morning commute. In Montgomery Township (Montgomery County), a tractor trailer blocked one northbound lane of U.S. Route 422 for the entire morning. Large traffic jams were also reported on the Schuylkill Expressway. In Delaware County, there were 80 disabled vehicles alone. Eleven people suffered minor injuries when a SEPTA bus skidded into an embankment in Chester (Delaware County). In Middletown (Delaware County), 10 passengers on a Fair Acres Geriatric Center bus were injured when it crashed. A man slipped and fell onto the SEPTA regional line track in Primos (Delaware County). In general the average 15 minute commute turned into one hour for many people. Farther north in the Lehigh Valley, U.S. Route 309 was closed between Coopersburg (Lehigh County) and Springfield Township (Bucks County) after a tractor trailer plowed into a utility pole. In Upper Saucon Township (Lehigh County), three tractor trailers were stuck trying to drive on a hilly road. In Northampton County, there were 130 accidents by 3 p.m. EST and 50 vehicles were disabled on Interstate 78 and Pennsylvania State Route 33. Shoveling snow caused three Chester County men (ages 55, 68 and 86) to die from heart attacks. Specific Accumulations included 9.5 inches in Wyomissing (Berks County) and Ambler (Montgomery County), 9.2 inches in Horsham (Montgomery County), 9 inches in Manayunk (Philadelphia), Kidder Township (Carbon County), Newtown Square (Delaware County), Perkasie (Bucks County) and Thorndale (Chester County), 8 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, Bossardville and East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), Bethlehem and Forks Township (Northampton County), Palm (Montgomery County), Southampton (Bucks County) and Exton (Chester County), 7.5 inches in Reading (Berks County) and Levittown (Bucks County), 7 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport, Lehighton (Carbon County), Blakeslee (Monroe County), Upper Chichester Township (Delaware County), Downingtown (Chester County), Morgantown (Berks County) and Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), 6.8 inches in Salisbury Township (Lehigh County) and Easton (Northampton County). The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm formed over Texas on the 3rd and moved eastnortheast and reached Louisiana the morning of the 4th, Cape Hatteras the morning of the 5th and then accelerated quickly offshore during the day on the 5th.

October 2002 brought to Eastern Pennsylvania the first widespread wetter than normal month since March. Every county was wetter than normal and in most cases received over twice the normal monthly precipitation for October. On October 10th and 11th, more rain fell across the region than is normal for the entire month. Groundwater monitoring wells in Montgomery and Bucks Counties jumped a foot after the heavy rain. October is usually the driest month of the year. Most of Eastern Pennsylvania remained under drought emergency status with mandatory watering restrictions in place. Residents were required to conserve water by 15 percent and could face penalties for violating regulations. Only Carbon and Monroe Counties were in drought watch status. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Due to the heavy rain during October, the salt front went from mile marker 88 on October 1st to mile marker 68 on October 31st, 13 miles farther downstream than normal for October. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. The heavy precipitation in October came too late to help farmers throughout the state. It was estimated that the drought will cost farmers about 300 million dollars in Pennsylvania. The projected corn harvest should be 30 percent below levels of last year and soybeans were expected to be down about 25 percent. Dairy farmers were pinched on both sides. Milk prices were depressed and feed prices were rising because of the drought. On a county weighted average October monthly precipitation totals ranged from 5.7 inches in Bucks County to 8.3 inches in Carbon County. More precipitation fell from the south to the north. Normal monthly precipitation is around 3.2 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 50.4 percent of capacity on October 1st to 57.6 percent of capacity on November 1st. Late October was the first time since early 2001 that reservoir capacity was higher than normal. On October 31st, the salt front on the Delaware River was about thirteen miles farther downstream (mile marker 68) than normal. For the month stream flow on the Delaware, Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers was about 200 percent of normal. October monthly precipitation was 7.20 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 6.85 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport (4th wettest on record) and 5.90 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport (5th wettest on record).

The pressure difference between a strong high pressure system in the central part of the country and Tropical Storm Gustav located well east of the Delmarva Peninsula produced strong gusty northwest winds throughout the day on the 11th. Winds frequently gusted between 35 and 45 mph throughout the day and caused considerably more tree damage than usually occurs with winds of that speed. A male passenger was killed in an automobile on U.S. Route 202 in Buckingham Township when a large tree limb fell on the vehicle. The driver was not hurt. Two state Department of Environmental Protection workers received minor injuries when they could not stop their truck before hitting the limb. In Horsham Township (Montgomery County), a downed tree brought down three sets of wires and caused a large power outage within the township. A similar occurrence happened in Langhorne Borough (Bucks County). Downed wires caused several small brush fires throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. In Monroe County, 7,000 homes and businesses lost power. Some stores closed for the day. Several hundred people also lost phone service. PECO Energy reported about 42,000 of its customers lost power during the afternoon. The number was reduced to about 28,000 at 6 p.m. EDT. Peak wind gusts included 46 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 45 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 44 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport and Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport (Luzerne County), 43 mph in Reading (Berks County), 41 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County), 39 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and 36 mph in Mount Pocono. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the early afternoon. This was the first widespread wind gusts of these speeds since May 14th. It was suspected tree damage occurred because its been four months since similar gusts happened and because the gusty winds persisted for an extended part of the day.

Eastern Pennsylvania entered September with drought conditions intensifying. On September 5th Governor Mark Schweiker added Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties to the drought emergency list. These counties joined most of Eastern Pennsylvania under this status with mandatory watering restrictions in place. Residents were required to conserve water by 15 percent and could face penalties for violating regulations. Only Carbon and Monroe Counties were in drought watch status. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Due to the dry summer, the salt front went from mile marker 85 north to mile marker 89, ten miles farther upstream than is normal for September. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. September saw the return of normal to wetter than normal precipitation across Eastern Pennsylvania. This came too late to help farmers throughout the state. It was estimated that the drought will cost farmers about 300 million dollars across the state. The projected corn harvest should be 30 percent below levels of last year and soybeans were expected to be down about 25 percent. Dairy farmers were pinched on both sides. Milk prices were depressed and feed prices were rising because of the drought. Fifty-four of the sixty-seven counties in the state have filed for federal agricultural disaster relief. In urban and suburban locations lawn maintenance and landscaping renovation personnel were hit the hardest. Consumers shied away from purchasing new vegetation and believed they had no way to water them. On a county weighted average September monthly precipitation totals ranged from 3.7 inches in Delaware County to 6.3 inches in Carbon County. More precipitation fell from the south to the north. Normal monthly precipitation is around 3.9 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River decreased for 59.7 percent of capacity on September 1st to 50.4 percent of capacity on October 1st. On September 30th, the salt front on the Delaware River was about ten miles farther upstream (mile marker 89) than normal. For the month streamflow on the Delaware, Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers was about 75 percent of normal. September monthly precipitation was 3.46 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 4.04 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 3.67 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

The excessive heat that began on July 28th continued through August 5th. The combination of high temperatures in the 90s and high dew points produced heat indices of over 100 each day through the 5th. A cold frontal passage late in the day on the 5th ended the excessive heat. The hottest day of this spell for most places in August was the second with high temperatures reaching or exceeding 100F in many places.The excessive heat caused nine more heat related deaths in and around Philadelphia. Three deaths each occurred in Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Seven of the deaths were under similar circumstances: persons found in their apartments with no air conditioning or no air conditioning running and room temperatures exceeding 90 degrees. A 91-year-old woman in East Norriton (Montgomery County) and and a 74-year-old woman in Philadelphia were found dead outside their homes. The excessive heat also produced record demand for electricity. Pennsylvania Power and Light set a new daily usage record (6,754 megawatts) on the 2nd and PECO Energy set a new weekend usage record on the 3rd and 4th. The heat caused electrical transformers to pop. PECO Energy reported about 26,000 customers lost power. The heat caused systemwide delays on the SEPTA commuter rail lines because of sagging lines. In Chester County, the eastbound lanes of U.S. Route 30 were closed for about three hours on the first because the heat caused the road to heave. Highest temperatures included 102 degrees at the Franklin Institute within Philadelphia, Willow Grove (Montgomery County), Perkasie (Bucks County), West Chester (Chester County) and Bath (Northampton County), 101 degrees in Reading (Berks County), Lehighton (Carbon County) and Valley Forge (Chester County), 100 degrees in Hamburg (Berks County) and Neshaminy Falls (Bucks County), 99 degrees at the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley International Airports and Sellersville (Bucks County), 98 degrees in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County) and 91 degrees in Tobyhanna (Monroe County).

The unseasonably warm and dry weather across Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of August intensified drought conditions. A drought emergency remained in effect for most of Eastern Pennsylvania with mandatory watering restrictions in place. Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties were under drought warning status and asked to voluntarily conserve water. Only Carbon and Monroe Counties were in drought watch status. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Due to the dry August, the salt front went from mile marker 73 north to mile marker 85, eight miles farther upstream than is normal for August. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. August started extremely dry during the first three weeks. In fact Philadelphia International came within a day of tying the all-time record (25 days) for the most consecutive days without measurable precipitation during the summer. No measurable precipitation fell from July 29th through August 21st. Two significant precipitation events occurred on the 24th and 29th, but it may have come too late to help the farmers. On a county weighted average August monthly precipitation totals ranged from 1.9 inches in Carbon County to 3.4 inches in Philadelphia County. Normal monthly precipitation is around 4.2 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River decreased for 76.5 percent of capacity on August 1st to 59.7 percent of capacity on September 1st. On August 31st the salt front on the Delaware River was about eight miles farther upstream (mile marker 85) than normal. For the month streamflow on the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers was about 75 percent of normal and on the Schuylkill River was less than half of normal. Flow on smaller streams were at or near record lows. This included the Tulpehocken Creek in Berks County, Brandywine Creek in Chester County and the Chester Creek in Delaware County. August total monthly precipitation was 3.70 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 2.68 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 2.47 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

The unseasonably warm and dry weather across Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of July intensified drought conditions. A drought emergency remained in effect for most of Eastern Pennsylvania with mandatory watering restrictions in place. Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties were under drought warning status and asked to voluntarily conserve water. Only Carbon and Monroe Counties were in drought watch status. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Due to the dry July, the salt front went from mile marker 62 north to mile marker 73, one mile farther upstream than is normal for July. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. On a county weighted average July monthly precipitation totals ranged from 0.8 inches in Berks County to 2.1 inches in Philadelphia County. Chester, Delaware and Lehigh Counties all averaged less than one inch of precipitation. Normal monthly precipitation is around 4.3 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River decreased for 89.0 percent of capacity on July 1st to 77.1 percent of capacity on July 31st. On July 31st the salt front on the Delaware River was about one mile farther upstream than normal. For the month streamflow on the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers was about 75 percent of normal and on the Schuylkill River was about half of normal. July total monthly precipitation was 0.35 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 1.15 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 2.12 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down trees and wires in Germantown and South Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 20,000 of its customers lost power because of the severe thunderstorms in southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia.

Eastern Pennsylvania entered June 2002 with improving weather conditions with respect to the drought, but the drought emergency remained in effect for most of Eastern Pennsylvania with mandatory watering restrictions in place. Only Carbon and Monroe Counties were in drought watch status. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Due to a wet May, on June 1st, the salt front along the Delaware River was six miles farther downstream than its normal June position. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. Drought conditions continued to improve during the month of June as precipitation ranged from near normal southwest of Philadelphia to well above normal from Bucks County northward. On June 14th Governor Mark Schweiker moved Bucks, Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties from drought emergency to drought warning status. On a county weighted average June monthly precipitation totals ranged from 3.3 inches in Chester County to 6.0 inches in Carbon County. Bucks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos exceeded normal rainfall by at least one inch. Normal monthly precipitation is around 4.0 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 81.2 percent of capacity on June 1st to 89.9 percent of capacity on June 24th. They then dropped to 89.0 percent of capacity as of July 1st. Reservoir storage was within the normal range. Under law, the Delaware River Basin Commission drought emergency declaration could not be lifted until reservoir levels remained 40 billion gallons above the drought watch level for 30 days. The commission voted to continue the drought emergency declaration through October 2002 unless all hydrological parameters returned to normal. On June 30th the salt front on the Delaware River was about five miles farther downstream than normal. For the month streamflow on the Delaware, Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers was above normal. June total monthly precipitation was 4.50 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 4.65 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 3.73 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Damaging winds pulled down numerous power lines and trees within the city of Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 9,100 of its customers lost power in Philadelphia.

Eastern Pennsylvania entered May 2002 with improving weather conditions with respect to the drought, but the drought emergency remained in effect for all of Eastern Pennsylvania with mandatory watering restrictions in place. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. On May 1st, the salt front along the Delaware River was three miles farther upstream than its normal May position. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. Drought conditions continued to improve during the month of May as precipitation ranged from near normal around the Philadelphia to well above normal in the Poconos. Conditions improved so much that on May 8th Governor Mark Schweiker moved Carbon and Monroe Counties from drought emergency to drought watch status. On a county weighted average May monthly precipitation totals ranged from 4.0 inches in Delaware County to 6.5 inches in Monroe County. Normal is around 4.4 inches. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 62.5 percent of capacity on May 1st to 81.2 percent of capacity on June 1st. Normal for June 1st is 99.5 percent of capacity. For the first time since last October, reservoir storage was within the normal range. Under law, the Delaware River Basin Commission drought emergency declaration could not be lifted until reservoir levels remained 40 billion gallons above the drought watch level for 30 days. This was not achieved as of May 31st. By May 31st though, the salt front on the Delaware River was three miles farther downstream than normal. For the month streamflow on the Delaware, Schuylkill and Lehigh Rivers averaged 150 percent of normal. May total monthly precipitation was 4.41 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 4.45 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 3.57 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Eastern Pennsylvania entered April 2002 with improving weather conditions with respect to the drought, but the drought emergency remained in effect for all of Eastern Pennsylvania with mandatory watering restrictions in place. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. Releases from the F.E. Walter Dam were reduced to one-third of normal to save water. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. On April 1st, the salt front along the Delaware River was eight miles farther upstream than its normal April position. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. In Chester County at the start of the month, 17 of the 19 monitoring wells were at drought emergency levels. Two of the wells went dry. The state of Delaware was requesting that the county hold back releases from the Marsh Creek Reservoir. Monitoring wells in Carbon County were three to ten feet below normal. In Monroe County, about 20 homeowner wells have gone dry and streams in the county were flowing at 20 percent below normal. There was water quality concerns throughout Eastern Pennsylvania as lower river levels not only would increase water temperatures but reduce water available for diluting pollutants. Conditions improved as April wore on, especially across Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. Below normal monthly precipitation fell across Philadelphia and its immediate suburbs. On a county weighted average in and around Philadelphia, April monthly precipitation totals ranged from 2.6 inches in Philadelphia to 3.1 inches in Bucks County. Normal is around 3.8 inches. Across Berks County, the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos on a county weighted average April monthly precipitation totals ranged from 4.2 inches in Berks County to 5.5 inches in Monroe County. Normal is around 3.7 inches. Of equal importance, April monthly rainfall was slightly wetter than normal in the New York City Delaware River watershed area in upstate New York. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 50.2 percent of capacity on April 1st to 62.5 percent of capacity on May 1st. Normal for May 1st is 100 percent of capacity.April total monthly precipitation was 4.10 inches at the Reading Regional Airport, 3.83 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 2.17 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Eastern Pennsylvania entered arch 2002 with considerably dry conditions and a drought emergency in effect. Governor Mark Schweiker upgraded the drought warning to a drought emergency for all of Eastern Pennsylvania on February 12th. The drought emergency placed an immediate ban on non-essential use of water. Water could be served in restaurants only be request. Vehicles could only be washed by buckets or hand held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles. There was a limit to the amount of watering for newly seeded or sodded grass. Golf courses could only water greens, tees and fairways in accordance with state approved water conservation plan. Swimming pools cannot be filled or topped off unless they are open to the public or to dwellings of more than 25 units. Ornamental fountains, reflecting pools and waterfalls must be emptied and there were restrictions on watering of athletic fields. The drought emergency declaration allows communities to implement and enforce mandatory water conservation measures and develop local drought emergency plans. Public water suppliers will also implement their own drought contingency plans and large self-supplied commercial and industrial water users will have to develop individual drought contingency plans. The governor was particularly concerned about private wells running dry. This was already occurring in Chester and Montgomery Counties. During March, requests for deeper wells also came from Nockamixon Township (Bucks County) and Easton (Northampton County). The unseasonably dry weather resulted in outdoor burning bans in Berks, Chester and Montgomery Counties. This was only the second countywide outdoor burning ban in Montgomery County history. Local during bans were also in effect in Bucks and Carbon Counties. Townships cancelled plans to plant new flowers and shrubbery. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3rd when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18th. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. On March 1st, the salt front along the Delaware River was five miles farther upstream than normal. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. Because of the drought emergency, the annual white water release from Lake Nockamixon (Bucks County) into Tohickon Creek for March 16th was cancelled. Conditions improved as the month wore on. Precipitation events on March 2nd and 3rd, 13th, 17th and 18th, 20th, 26th and 31st resulted in above normal precipitation for Eastern Pennsylvania. This was the first month since June of 2001 that the eastern part of the state. On a county weighted average, March monthly precipitation totals ranged from 3.3 inches in Northampton County to 5.0 inches in Delaware County. Normal is around 3.4 inches. The monthly precipitation total was 3.68 inches at the Lehigh valley International Airport, 4.03 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 3.59 inches at Reading (Berks County). The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 39.3 percent of capacity on March 1st to 50.2 percent of capacity on April 1st. The salt front on the Delaware River was only 2 miles farther upstream than normal on April 1st. Average flow for the major rivers during the month of March was only about 50 percent of normal.

For the third time during the first eleven days of February, strong winds followed the passage of a vigorous cold front through Eastern Pennsylvania. Strong winds began around sunrise and persisted throughout the daylight hours. Peak wind gusts averaged between 35 and 50 mph. Weak trees, tree limbs and power lines were knocked down. PECO Energy reported about 17,400 of its customers lost power in and around Philadelphia. Peak wind gusts included 48 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 47 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 45 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Reading (Berks County), 41 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County), 40 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 39 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County).

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and the pressure gradient (difference in surface pressure) between the low and a high pressure system building in from the Southern Plains caused strong northwest winds behind the low's cold frontal passage during the late afternoon and evening on the first. Peak wind gusts averaged between 40 and 50 mph and knocked down weak tree limbs and wires. PECO Energy reported about 17,000 homes and businesses lost power in and around Philadelphia. Peak wind gusts included 49 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 46 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 45 mph in Reading (Berks County) and Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 44 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County).

The drought tightened its grip across Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of February. For many places it was the driest February on record. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 0.5 inches in Chester County to 1.3 inches in Monroe County. Normal is around 2.9 inches.The continued dry conditions forced Governor Mark Schweiker to upgrade the drought warning to a drought emergency for all of Eastern Pennsylvania on February 12th. The drought emergency placed an immediate ban on non-essential use of water. Water could be served in restaurants only be request. Vehicles could only be washed by buckets or hand held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles. There was a limit to the amount of watering for newly seeded or sodded grass. Golf courses could only water greens, tees and fairways in accordance with state approved water conservation plan. Swimming pools cannot be filled or topped off unless they are open to the public or to dwellings of more than 25 units. Ornamental fountains, reflecting pools and waterfalls must be emptied and there were restrictions on watering of athletic fields. The drought emergency declaration allows communities to implement and enforce mandatory water conservation measures and develop local drought emergency plans. Public water suppliers will also implement their own drought contingency plans and large self-supplied commercial and industrial water users will have to develop individual drought contingency plans. Methods to conserve water include fixing leaking toilets and faucets, running dishwashers and washing machines at full loads only, replacing old toilets with newer ones, installing water efficient showerheads, leaving a jug of water in the refrigerator, using a bucket to wash vehicles and turning off the water while brushing teeth or shaving. The governor was particularly concerned about private wells running dry. This was already occurring in Chester and Montgomery Counties. In Chester County, the applications to deepen or replace residential wells increased by 62 percent in 2001 and 44 percent in 2002. Sixteen of the twenty monitoring wells in the county were at drought emergency levels. Springs in the county were going dry. In Montgomery County, there have been about 80 requests for emergency well permits since July of 2001. Most were in Green Lane, Marlborough and Upper and Lower Pottsgrove Townships. Shallow wells were also going dry in Bucks and Carbon Counties. Well contractors were so swamped that there was a three week waiting period. Above ground water supplies were no better during February. The Springton Reservoir (Delaware County) was at 43 percent of capacity. Normal is 70 percent. Many streams in the area were flowing at the lowest ten percentile for this time of year. The dry conditions forced Chester County to issue a 30 day ban on opening burnings. Outdoor burning bans were also in effect in four townships in Carbon County. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3rd when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18th. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. The salt front along the Delaware River was farther upstream than it normally is during February. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. The February precipitation total of 0.55 at the Philadelphia International Airport was the driest February on record. It was also the driest February on record (0.55 inches also) at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. At Reading (Berks County), the monthly precipitation total was 0.68 inches and was 2.09 inches below normal. It was also the driest meteorological (December through February) winter on record at the Lehigh Valley International Airport with only 3.92 inches of precipitation. It was the seventh driest winter on record (5.09 inches) at the Philadelphia International Airport. The winter precipitation total of 4.91 inches in Reading was 5.08 inches below normal.

Unseasonably dry weather continued across Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of January. While precipitation totals came close to normal in and around Philadelphia, only about half of the normal monthly precipitation totals fell in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 1.6 inches in Northampton County to 3.2 inches in Delaware County. Normal is around 3.3 inches. The drought warning remained in effect for all of Eastern Pennsylvania. A drought warning calls for a 10 to 15 percent voluntary reduction in water consumption. Methods to conserve water include fixing leaking toilets and faucets, running dishwashers and washing machines at full loads only, replacing old toilets with newer ones, installing water efficient showerheads, leaving a jug of water in the refrigerator, using a bucket to wash vehicles and turning off the water while brushing teeth or shaving. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3rd when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. This triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The Delaware River Basin Commission declared a drought emergency on December 18th. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. The salt front along the Delaware River was farther upstream than it normally is during January. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contingency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission.

Unseasonably dry weather continued across Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of December. While more precipitation fell during December than either October or November, it was still drier than normal. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 2.1 inches in Chester County to 2.9 inches in Carbon County. Normal is around 3.6 inches. On December 5th, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David E. Hess upgraded the drought watch in Eastern Pennsylvania to a drought warning. Groundwater levels were continuing to decline with streamflow levels reaching near record low levels in some cases. A drought warning calls for a 10 to 15 percent voluntary reduction in water consumption. Methods to conserve water include fixing leaking toilets and faucets, running dishwashers and washing machines at full loads only, replacing old toilets with newer ones, installing water efficient showerheads and turning off the water while brushing teeth or shaving. Due to low groundwater supplies, Upper Makefield Township (Bucks County) declared a drought emergency. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3rd when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. This triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. As precipitation continued to be below normal, the New York City reservoirs failed to rise and were about 50 percent below normal for December. They were at their lowest level since the last of the three reservoirs went on line in 1967. The Delaware River Basin Commission declared a drought emergency on December 18th. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. The salt front along the Delaware River was approximately 11 miles farther upstream than it normally is during December. The emergency declaration also gives the commission the power to request that utilities and other companies that use more than one million gallons of water a day to prepare contigency plans to use less water and submit the plans to the commission. The dry weather during the fall caused a below normal (in size) potato crop in the state. The wetter weather during December did have one positive effect. The outdoor burning ban in West Penn Township was lifted on December 5th and the countywide burning ban in Monroe County was lifted on December 19th. For the year 2001, precipitation was well below average. On a county weighted average, it ranged from 31.0 inches in Philadelphia County to 40.3 inches in Bucks County. The deficiencies ranged from 4.2 inches in Bucks County to 13.1 inches in Philadelphia County. Most of the deficit came in the second half of the year. The 30.99 inch total at the Philadelphia International Airport was 10.42 inches below normal and the sixth driest year on record.

A ridge of high pressure both surface and aloft that was broiling the central part of the country moved east and covered Eastern Pennsylvania during the work week of August 6th. This brought a very oppressive hot spell to the region and peaked on the 9th. It was the first time since July 9th and 10th of 1993 that the high temperature reached 100 degrees or higher at the Philadelphia International Airport. There were 25 heat related deaths in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area: 19 in Philadelphia, 2 in Montgomery County, 1 in Chester County and 3 elsewhere. In most instances, the circumstances were the same. The people already had underlying health problems. They were found indoors with windows closed and air-conditioning units (if available) not turned on. The living room temperature of one of the deceased in Philadelphia was 130 degrees. Responses for assistance for the elderly in Philadelphia increased from 33 on Monday the 6th to 126 on Thursday the 9th. Dozens of others suffered heat exhaustion. At the Philadelphia Phillies afternoon baseball game on the 9th, the artificial turf temperature rose to 149 degrees by games' end. Twenty-four fans were treated for heat exhaustion. The hot weather and lack of wind produced unhealthy ozone levels. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission issued a "code red" warning for ground level ozone concentration. The hot weather put a strain on both electrical and water usage with several utilities setting records. The PJM Interconnection (An independent organization that coordinates electric delivery for 22 million people in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) set a usage record of 54,176 megawatts on the 9th. It was also forced to reduce voltage by 5 percent that day between 310 p.m. and 615 p.m. EDT to protect power reserves. PECO Energy had its 2nd highest usage on record on the 9th (7,954 megawatts). Both GPU Energy (10,468 megawatts) and PPL (6,661 megawatts) established new usage records on the 9th. Scattered outages occurred because of the peak demand. On the night of the 9th, 2,500 customers in Upper Darby (Delaware County) were without power for twelve hours. Water usage at the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company shattered records for four consecutive days and was about 17% above the July average. The National Utility called on its Lehigh and Monroe County customers to conserve water.On the 8th and 9th, school children were dismissed early from Philadelphia Public Schools. University of Pennsylvania also dismissed non-essential personnel early. Interstate 95 buckled near Philadelphia International Airport. In and around Philadelphia, SEPTA Regional Rail Lines operated with delays due to downed wires on the 9th. The wires sagged because of the heat and a couple of trains ripped them from their moorings. Several trains and buses overheated. Chester County recommended restrain from outside burning until temperatures cooled.Highest temperatures included 104 degrees in Willow Grove (Montgomery County), 103 degrees in Northeast Philadelphia, 101 degrees in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and at the Philadelphia International Airport, 99 degrees in Doylestown (Bucks County), 98 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and East Stroudsburg (Monroe County) and 91 degrees in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). The 101 degree high temperature at the Philadelphia International Airport was the hottest day at the airport since July 15, 1995 when it reached 103 degrees. A cold front moved into the region the evening of the 10th and stalled throughout the weekend (the 11th and 12th). While it did not remove the humid air in place, the clouds and precipitation prevented temperatures from reaching into the 90s after the 10th.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down about a dozen trees in South Philadelphia. PECO Energy reported about 36,000 homes and businesses lost power because of the lightning and high winds in Philadelphia and its northern and western suburbs.

The remnants of tropical storm Allison drenched the southern halves of Montgomery and Bucks Counties and Philadelphia with up to 10 inches of rain. Torrential downpours occurred from early afternoon through the late evening on the 16th. Severe flooding occurred along the Sandy Run, Wissahickon, Pennypack and Neshaminy Basins. The flooding caused and then hampered fire fighters battling an apartment fire in Upper Moreland Township. Six persons perished in the fire. A 63-year-old man died when his 1997 Toyota was swept into the Wissahickon Creek in Whitemarsh Township (Montgomery County). Several bridges were damaged or washed out including a couple on the SEPTA Regional Rail Lines. About 241 homes were destroyed and 1,386 others were damaged. The torrential rains liquified the ground and caused weak trees to fall over. About 70,000 PECO Energy customers lost power. Both Bucks and Montgomery Counties were declared disaster areas. Preliminary damage estimates were 35 million dollars. Damage to roads and bridges alone was around 5 million dollars. Montgomery County was hit the hardest with Abington Township, Cheltenham Township, Hatboro Borough, Horsham Township, Lower Moreland Township, Upper Dublin Township and Upper Moreland Township affected the most. In Upper Moreland Township, six people died in an apartment building fire that apparently was triggered by rising flood waters from the nearby Pennypack Creek. Flood waters rose 10 to 20 feet at the Village Green Apartment Complex and inundated the area. Firefighters were rescuing people, some from the second floor, when the complex was struck by a natural gas explosion. The fire apparently started after rising flood waters knocked over hot water heaters in building A of the complex and caused the gas leak. Rising flood waters prevented firefighters from battling the flames. Two buildings in the complex were destroyed by the fire. Two others had smoke and water damage while the remaining 16 buildings were evacuated. About 200 persons were sheltered. Elsewhere in the township, rescuers bcame trapped in the Pennypack Creek trying to save others. Flood damage caused the condemnation of the Bonnet Lane Shopping Center. In Hatboro, four people were trapped by rising flood waters at the Old Mill Inn and about 150 vehicles at a Dodge Dealership were damaged beyond repair. In Whitemarsh Township, a 63 year-old man drowned when his Toyota was found in the Wissahickon Creek. Elsewhere in the township, flooding along the Sandy Run Creek destroyed the SEPTA Fort Washington (R5 Doylestown Line) Bridge. Flood waters also toppled poles that supported the power lines. Repairs were expected to take three weeks. Shuttle buses were used to transport the 12,000 affected commuters. In Abington Township, SEPTA tracks were washed out and cut off the use of the R2 (Warminster) and R3 (Trenton) lines. In Whitpain Township, a storm drain near the swollen Wissahickon Creek was overwhelmed. The flood waters caused the collapse of a warehouse and a 3 to 4 foot surge of water down Maple Street. About 25 families were rescued, some from their second floor or roof. About a dozen homes were damaged by flood waters that reached into the first floor. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed between the Willow Grove and Norristown Exits. Except for the Fort Washington Interchange, the turnpike was reopened on the 17th. In Bucks County, Bensalem Township, New Britain Township, Middletown Township, Warminster Township and Warrington Township were hardest hit. Scores of motorists were trapped in vehicles; house trailers were seen floating. A State of Emergency was declared in Warrington Township as flooding caused a chlorine leak. Elsewhere in the township, people were trapped within a collapsed home. In Philadelphia, flooding along the Wissahickon Creek caused a couple of road closures. Several roads were also closed in the northern part of the city.In Bucks County, the Neshaminy Creek at Langhorne was above its 9 foot flood stage from 1059 p.m. EDT on the 16th through 421 p.m. EDT on the 17th. It crested at 16.87 feet at 830 a.m. EDT on the 17th. The Little Neshaminy Creek at Neshaminy reached its 8 foot flood stage from 716 p.m. EDT on the 16th through 409 a.m. EDT on the 17th. It crested at 14.05 feet at 1030 p.m. EDT on the 16th. In Montgomery County, the East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek at Schwenksville briefly touched its 7 foot flood stage at 5 p.m. EDT on the 16th. In Philadelphia, the Wissahickon Creek at Philadelphia was above its 5 foot flood stage from 8 p.m. EDT on the 16th through 140 p.m. EDT on the 17th. It crested at 9.73 feet at 430 a.m. EDT on the 17th. The Pennypack Creek at Pennypack was above its 7 foot flood stage from 715 p.m. EDT on the 16th through 836 a.m. EDT on the 18th. It crested at 13.12 feet at 1045 p.m. EDT on the 16th. The Frankford Creek at Frankford was above its 7 foot flood stage from 836 p.m. EDT on the 16th through 141 a.m. EDT on the 17th. It crested at 8.82 feet at 1101 p.m. EDT on the 16th. Storm totals included 10.17 inches in Chalfont (Bucks County), 10.16 inches at the Willow Grove NAS in Montgomery County, 9.35 inches in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Wyncote (Montgomery County), 9.00 inches in Abington (Montgomery County), 8.00 inches in Horsham (Montgomery County), 7.40 inches in Warrington (Bucks County), 5.73 inches in Ambler (Montgomery County), 4.81 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 4.54 inches in Southampton (Bucks County), 3.83 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County), 3.43 inches in Somerton (Philadelphia) 3.38 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 2.62 inches at the Franklin Institute within Philadelphia. The low pressure system that was the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison, was very persistent and slow moving. It moved from northeast North Carolina the afternoon of the 15th to near Norfolk the morning of the 16th to the Virginia Capes during the afternoon of the 16th and just east of Atlantic City during the morning of the 17th. Similar to Hurricane Floyd, a cold front was approaching the region from central Pennsylvania on the 16th. An extremely moist and unstable southeast flow preceded both these features. The slight rise in elevation from the coastal plain to the Piedmont in Southeast Pennsylvania (called the fall line) was enough to enhance the precipitation and drop copious amounts across this area.

A severe thunderstorm pushed vehicles to one side of Interstate 95 near the Girard Avenue exit in Philadelphia. Downed tree limbs caused about 1,300 customers within the city to lose power.

An intensifying low pressure system that helped generate its own cold air produced heavy snow across most of Eastern Pennsylvania. While the air was cold enough for precipitation to fall as snow across the Poconos and Lehigh Valley, the precipitation intensity was so heavy farther southeast, that the rain changed to snow faster and lasted longer than anticipated. Unfortunately this occurred during midday on a Monday. While schools were closed from Upper Bucks and Montgomery Counties northward, schools were open farther south. As schools, businesses and malls closed early in Philadelphia and the nearby suburbs, an early rush hour produced dire and nightmarish consequences. Numerous accidents congested nearly every major roadway to the point that emergency personnel and snow plows could not get through. Many tractor trailers jackknifed and many vehicles including school buses skidded into ditches and could not negotiate hills. Thousands of motorists were stranded on roadways, many abandoned their vehicles adding to the traffic congestion. There were thousands of accidents. Most of them only caused minor injuries. Stories of 30 minute commutes turning into 6 hour nightmares were common. Many communities declared snow emergencies. In addition, the heavy wet snow downed numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines, particularly in the Philadelphia northwest suburbs. PECO Energy reported 180,000 customers lost power. Farther north, the snow was more powdery and only about 9,000 outages were reported. Repair efforts were hampered by the traffic congestion. Many slip and fall and snowthrower accidents occurred. Several pedestrians were injured when struck by either snow plows or vehicles. There was one reported heart attack death caused by shoveling snow (in Chester County). Cell phone use overwhelmed the capacity of their systems. Accumulations were generally between 6 and 18 inches. Some lesser accumulations occurred within parts of Philadelphia and lower parts of the nearby suburbs. The widespread highest amounts occurred across the southern Poconos and the Lehigh Valley. Many schools were closed the following day (the 6th). Most power was restored by the 6th.In the Poconos, the snow began falling shortly after midnight on the 5th and fell the heaviest between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST. The worst accident occurred on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Lehighton when a tractor trailer traveling northbound struck the concrete median. Pieces of the median fell into the southbound lanes and the hood of the tractor trailer flew off and struck another vehicle. The road was closed for over an hour. In Mahoning Township, an oil delivery truck slid on ice and flipped on its side. This was the highest accumulation in the Stroudsburg area since the blizzard of 1996. In the Lehigh Valley and Berks County, snow began falling around 1 a.m. EST, fell the heaviest between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST and ended around 7 p.m. EST. In the Lehigh Valley, a tractor trailer accident backed up Interstate 78 for 6 miles during the afternoon. Trucks could not negotiate the hill. In Easton, a tractor trailer jackknifed on U.S. Route 22 near Cemetery Curve and backed up the roadway throughout the afternoon. Even a fire truck stalled in the snow. Half of the flights at the Lehigh Valley International Airport were cancelled. In Berks County, both directions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike were closed around Reading because of three jackknifed tractor trailers. A pedestrian was struck by a plow in Morgantown. Boyertown, Hamburg and Sinking Spring had the most power outages. Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs bore the brunt of the damage from this winter storm. Precipitation started as a mixture of snow, sleet and rain just after midnight in the far northern suburbs and as plain rain elsewhere. As precipitation intensity increased, and the low began to pull offshore, precipitation changed to all snow in the far north and the transition started farther south. The rain changed to all snow around Doylestown (Bucks County) at 9 a.m. EST and in Philadelphia around noon EST. The heaviest snow fell between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST. Ironically, when the precipitation intensity decreased, rain began mixing with the snow again at the Philadelphia International Airport. The snow ended by 8 p.m. EST. Accidents caused cars, trucks and buses to be at a standstill from 1 p.m. EST into the early evening on the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) , the Blue Route (Interstate 476), the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, U.S. Route 30, U.S. Route 202, U.S. Route 422, Pennsylvania State Route 309, Pennsylvania State Route 611, Ridge Pike and Germantown Pike. A drive from Center City Philadelphia to King of Prussia in Montgomery County took one motorist 5 hours. Many vehicles ran out of fuel and were abandoned on these roadways slowing or preventing snow removal. There were 500 reports of stranded motorists in Delaware County alone. Plow trains had better luck clearing access roads first than main roadways because of the congestion. In Bucks County, a jackknifed tractor trailer near Quakertown crippled the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for most of the day. In Montgomery and Bucks Counties, school buses became stuck climbing hills and/or slid into ditches. This occurred to three buses in Lower Moreland Township (Montgomery County) alone. In Abington Township, a six foot wide tree crashed onto four vehicles, two were occupied, but no serious injuries occurred. A tree fell on a vehicle in Horsham Borough also. Every major roadway in Whitpain Township (Montgomery County) was gridlocked. Emergency officials were overwhelmed. In Lower Merion Township, for example, there were 300 responses from emergency personnel. In Chester County, about a half dozen school buses were stuck on Charlestown Township roads. In Paoli, students were stuck at the school overnight. Buses could not reach them. In Delaware County, in Marple Township, a pedestrian was struck during a two vehicle accident. In Radnor Township, 1,200 students were stranded because bus drivers could not make it back to work. The last bus left the school at 745 p.m. EST. Specific accumulations included in Berks County: Mohnton 14.5 inches, Bechtelsville 13 inches, Reading 10 inches and Lincoln Park 9.5 inches, in Bucks County: 18 inches in Springtown, 14.7 inches in Chalfont, 13.5 inches in Sellersville, 8 inches in Doylestown and 4 inches in Levittown, in Carbon County: 11 inches in Albrightsville, 10 inches in Meckesville and 9 inches in Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, in Chester County: 11 inches in Kimberton, 10 inches in Exton, 7.4 inches in Glenmoore, 6 inches in Valley Forge and 4 inches in Oxford. In Delaware County: 12.4 inches in Radnor, 7.5 inches in Newtown and 4 inches in Crum Creek, In Lehigh County: 17.5 inches in Coopersburg, 17 inches in Salisbury Township, 16 inches in Alburtis and 13 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, in Monroe County: 16 inches in Saylorsburg, 13.5 inches in East Stroudsburg, 12 inches in Scotia and 10 inches in Pocono Summit, In Montgomery County: 14 inches in Palm, 13 inches in King of Prussia, 12 inches in Pottstown, 11 inches in Hatfield and 9 inches in Whitemarsh, in Northampton County: 18 inches in Williams Township, 17 inches in Palmer Township, 13 inches in Easton and 12 inches in Bethlehem and in Philadelphia County: 8 inches in Manayunk, 5.5 inches in Somerton, 4 inches at the Franklin Institute and 3 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure system responsible for the heavy snow developed along a stationary front just east of Florida on the 4th. By the morning of the 5th, it moved north to near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It then intensified rapidly (a drop of about 25 millibars during the next 24 hours) as it moved northeast and reached Nova Scotia during the morning of the 6th. The air mass over the region was marginally cold for snow, especially around Philadelphia. But, the precipitation intensity was so great (storm total water equivalents were around 1.5 inches), that the heat required to melt the snow aloft (called the latent heat of fusion) chilled the air mass and made the snow capable of reaching the ground. This type of snowstorm is typically called a "warm snowstorm" because the low pressure system itself manufactures the cold air needed to make the snow reach the ground. In a so-called standard snowstorm the air mass is cold enough at the start to support snow. Warm snowstorms are not only difficult to predict, but also because of the lack of cold air, usually produce heavy wet snow that easily can take down trees, tree limbs and power lines.

An unseasonably warm air mass and an intense low pressure system and cold front set the stage for an extremely windy day across Eastern Pennsylvania on December 17th. Gusty southerly winds buffeted the region during the first half of the day. Thunderstorms embedded within bands of heavy precipitation exacerbated the wind, especially in Chester County. As the cold front passed through the region during the afternoon of the 17th, the strong southerly winds were replaced by equally strong westerly winds into the evening. The difference was there were no thunderstorms to mix down the stronger winds. Most of the peak wind gusts occurred during the morning and were between 40 and 55 mph. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down in Berks County, particularly in Saint Lawrence Borough and the Reiffton area of Exeter Township. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power. In Chester County, numerous trees and wires were knocked down also with about 10,000 PECO Energy customers losing power. Elsewhere across Eastern Pennsylvania, the strong winds knocked down weakened trees and tree limbs and power lines that were in their way of the ground. In Lehigh County, U.S. Route 222 was closed in Breinigsville (Upper Macungie Township) because of downed poles. The combination of wind and lightning caused about 6.000 GPU Energy customers to lose power in Berks County and the Lehigh Valley and 47,900 PECO Energy customers to lose power in and around Philadelphia.Reported peak wind gusts included 57 mph in Telford (Bucks County), 55 mph in Kimberton (Chester County), 46 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 41 mph at Pottstown (Montgomery County) Airport and the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 40 mph at Reading (Berks County) Airport. Record breaking high temperatures occurred at both the Philadelphia (65 degrees) and Lehigh Valley (63 degrees) International Airports.

A winter storm of sleet and freezing rain encrusted much of Eastern Pennsylvania with a combination of about three-quarters of an inch of sleet and ice. Precipitation began during the late evening of the 13th as a mixture of sleet and snow in the Poconos, a mixture of sleet and freezing rain in Berks and Bucks Counties and the Lehigh Valley and as mainly freezing rain across the rest of southeast Pennsylvania. Precipitation changed to plain rain in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties by around 3 a.m. EST on the 14th with ice accretions generally less than one-tenth of an inch. But by that time across the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania precipitation was falling as mainly freezing rain. Temperatures slowly rose above freezing from southwest to northeast that morning, but took until around 830 a.m. EST for the last of the sub-freezing air to be scoured from the Poconos. The hardest hit locations were in a strip across Berks east into Upper Chester, Montgomery and Bucks Counties where freezing rain was the predominate precipitation type. Ice accretions in these areas averaged around half an inch. Elsewhere they were around one-quarter of an inch as either more sleet fell (farther to the north) or the precipitation changed to plain rain (closer to Philadelphia) faster. The ice knocked down tree limbs and power lines. In Berks County, about 16,000 customers lost power. Hardest hit were the rural locations in the seven westernmost townships in the county. PECO Energy reported about 16,500 customers lost power in Chester, Montgomery and Bucks Counties. There were several accidents because of the slippery roads, but the number was relatively low due to the time the most hazardous precipitation was falling. Schools were closed in the Poconos. Two hour opening delays were common elsewhere. A few other schools were closed because of the lack of power. Since most of the sleet and ice fell overnight, the number of traffic accidents were relatively low. A strong high pressure system nestled itself across the northeastern United States on the 13th. It brought some very cold and dry air into the region. As the high moved offshore the evening of the 13th, temperatures did not have enough time to recover to the freezing mark. During the evening of the 13th, the low pressure system moved from the lower Tennessee Valley northeast into the upper Ohio Valley during the early morning of the 14th. A secondary low pressure system did form in Chesapeake Bay toward dawn on the 14th and moved northeast through New Jersey during the morning. It eventually became the primary low pressure system on that afternoon as it headed toward Cape Cod. These lows were relatively weak (their central pressures as of 1 p.m. EST on the 14th were only around normal sea level pressure). Thus as warmer air was streaming in aloft, the weak southeast flow from the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean took a while to move inland and change the freezing rain to plain rain.

A rapidly intensifying low pressure system and its associated cold front produced high winds across Eastern Pennsylvania during the morning of the 12th. Peak wind gusts ranged between 50 and 60 mph. A 50-year-old man was killed in Alsace Township (Berks County) when a tree fell onto his pickup truck at 930 a.m. EST. The high wind knocked down trees, tree limbs, power lines and holiday decorations. Several buildings, homes and vehicles were damaged by either the wind or fallen trees. The high winds spewed the streets with fallen branches and runaway trash and recyclables and knocked down numerous Christmas trees at nurseries. About 105,000 homes and businesses lost power. This was part of the about 450,000 homes and businesses that lost power statewide. Dozens of schools dismissed their children early because the loss of power left them unable to heat the classrooms and serve lunch. All power was restored by the evening of the 13th. The tree damage was relatively high given the reported wind speeds. Part of the reason was due to relatively benign winds in the latter half of this year. Many weakened trees were pruned by the high winds.In the southern Poconos about 7,500 homes and businesses lost power. In Carbon County the worst damage occurred in Lansford when a roof was torn off from a fitness center. The roof debris scattered throughout the neighborhood and damaged a rain gutter and broke at least one window. All of Jim Thorpe lost power when fallen trees took down wires in Weissport. In Monroe County, the greatest concentration of power outages were in Pocono Farms and Bartonsville. In the Lehigh Valley, about 7,000 homes and businesses lost power. A billboard was knocked down in Allentown. Several flights at the international airport were canceled. In southeast Pennsylvania, the 89,300 customers that lost power in the PECO Energy service area was the largest outage of the year. The worst damage occurred in Bucks County as numerous trees were knocked down. In Northampton Township alone, emergency personnel responded to 29 calls of downed trees and wires. In Bristol Township, a 300-year-old oak tree fell through the guest room of one house. In Middletown Township, sections of a roof was stripped from a building at Business Route 1 and damaged several cars. In Perkasie, a tattoo store had two of its large windows blown out. Most of the southern half of Sellersville lost power. In Montgomery County, a construction worker in Conshohocken suffered a head injury when a wind driven pulley struck him. Part of the roof of a Sears building in Norristown was ripped away. In Chester County, a brush fire was started by downed power lines in Modena. In Philadelphia, the wind blew out a window from a Market Street building. The peak wind gust of 53 mph at Philadelphia International Airport was the highest wind gust at the airport since June 1, 1998.Other peak wind gusts included 59 mph within Reading (Berks County), 58 mph at the Reading Regional Airport, 57 mph at FDR Park (Philadelphia), 56 mph in Lansdale (Montgomery County) and the Mount Pocono (Monroe County) Airport, 54 mph at Northeast Philadelphia Airport and Scranton Avoca Airport, 53 mph at the Doylestown (Bucks County) Airport, 51 mph at the Willow Grove NAS (Montgomery County) and 49 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The low pressure system intensified from a 1009 Mb central pressure in Missouri the morning of the 11th to a 984 Mb low near Burlington, Vermont the morning of the 12th. The rapid drop of the central pressure of the low of about 25 Mb within a 24 hour period is normally described as a meteorological bomb. This rapid intensification normally occurs over the western Atlantic Ocean, but when it does occur over land, could cause high winds and wind damage.

A severe thunderstorm knocked down several trees and wires within Philadelphia as well as numerous limbs. Some minor property damage occurred from the fallen trees. PECO Energy reported about 3,300 homes and businesses lost power in the county.

A strong cold front moved through Eastern Pennsylvania during the late afternoon and early evening on the 8th. A strong secondary low formed on the frontal boundary overnight and by 8 a.m. EDT on the 9th was located near Worcester, Massachusetts. The intensifying low pressure system brought strong and gusty west to northwest winds into Eastern Pennsylvania from the early morning of the 9th into the early evening the same day. It also ingested enough cold air to change the rain over to snow before it ended across the region during the morning of the 9th. The changeover started in the Pocono Highlands of Monroe County around 1100 p.m. EDT on the 8th and slowly spread southeast. The rain changed to snow around 3 a.m. EDT in Stroudsburg. The sooner changeover permitted heavy snow to fall over the higher terrain in the county. Elsewhere the change to snow spread southeast from Monroe and Carbon Counties. Because the storm was relatively intense, the cold air wrapped around the south side of the system and the change from rain to snow across the southeast part of the state (between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. EDT) occurred from the southwest to the northeast. The snow ended by noon. Accumulations in the Poconos ranged from 2.5 inches in the valleys to 10 inches on the hilltops. Accumulations elsewhere ranged between 1.5 and 5.0 inches. The slushy roadway conditions led to accidents, especially around the Philadelphia area. In Whitemarsh Township (Montgomery County), two people were killed after their vehicle skidded into a utility pole. There were five accidents on Interstate 95 around Philadelphia. The combination of the heavy wet snow and strong gusty winds downed trees, tree limbs and power lines, particularly in the Philadelphia suburbs. One downed tree crushed a moving car in Valley Forge National Park (Chester County), but the occupants were unharmed. In Doylestown, one of several downed trees damaged the chimney and roof of a house. About 40,000 PECO Energy customers lost power in the Philadelphia area. All but 200 had powered restored by the night of the 9th. In the Poconos, about 1,500 homes and businesses lost power, nearly two-thirds occurred in the Lake Naomi area of Tobyhanna Township (Monroe County). Accumulations included 10 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 5 inches in Wynnewood (Montgomery County) and Williams Township (Northampton County), 4.2 inches in Furlong (Bucks County), 4 inches in Glenmoore (Chester County) and Palm (Montgomery County), 3.7 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 3.3 inches in Downingtown (Chester County), 3 inches in Morgantown (Berks County), 2.5 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 2.1 inches in West Chester (Chester County), 2 inches in Fricks (Bucks County) and Honey Brook (Chester County),1.6 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport and 1.5 inches in Perkasie (Bucks County) and the Franklin Institute within Philadelphia.Peak wind gusts included 51 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 48 mph at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, 44 mph at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport and the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 43 mph in Doylestown (Bucks County) and Pottstown (Montgomery County).

A low pressure system developed in the western Gulf of Mexico during the day on the 28th. It slowly moved eastnortheast and by Sunday morning the 30th was located near Apalachicola Florida, not too far from the location of the January 25th storm. Unlike the previous storm, this one tracked farther to the west and moved northeast along the Atlantic Seaboard. By the morning of the 31st, it was located near Boston, Massachusetts. The farther westward storm track permitted warm air near the surface and aloft to move into Pennsylvania, particularly the Philadelphia area during the event. There was less cold air present at the start of the storm, especially nearer the coast. Most of it was in the lowest layers of the atmosphere. This led to the more typical potpourri of weather across Eastern Pennsylvania with primarily snow in the Poconos and a wintry mix farther south and east. Precipitation started during the afternoon as snow throughout the state. By early evening precipitation had changed to sleet and freezing rain around the immediate Philadelphia area, but the transition away from snow was painfully slow farther north and west as heavy snow continued to fall. Around 9 p.m. EST enough warm air had moved into the local Philadelphia area to change the precipitation to plain rain. Meanwhile a transition to sleet with some freezing rain was occurring in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia's far northwestern suburbs. As the low pressure system made its closest pass to the area during the evening, colder air started to return on its west side and the sleet changed back to snow in both Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Allentown (Lehigh County) after 10 p.m. EST. Precipitation ended from south to north from midnight through 3 a.m. EST on the 31st. Temperatures never made it above freezing except for the local Philadelphia area. Accumulations were highest in the Poconos where precipitation fell as snow throughout the event. The greatest accretion of ice, around one-third of an inch, occurred in the local Philadelphia area. Untreated roadways were very treacherous and high traffic volume due to Super Bowl Sunday exacerbated the problems. Within Philadelphia there were numerous minor accidents. In hilly Manayunk bus routes were either cancelled or rerouted. Chester County emergency personnel responded to about 20 vehicular accidents. Snow emergencies were declared in 8 municipalities in Montgomery County. The accretion of ice, snow and sleet downed wires and caused power outages to 5,000 homes and businesses in Philadelphia's suburbs. In Monroe County the heavy snow forced the cancellation of schools on Monday the 31st.Snowfall accumulations included: in Carbon County 6 inches in Albrightsville; in Monroe County 11 inches in East Stroudsburg, 10.6 inches in Bossardsville and 9.5 inches in Pocono Summit.; in Berks County 7.5 inches in Mertztown, 7 inches in Blue Marsh Lake and Hamburg and 6 inches in Bechtelsville; in Lehigh County 7 inches in Fogelsville and 6 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport; in Northampton County 8 inches in Williams Township and 6.8 inches in Bath; in Chester County 5.6 inches in Glenmoore, 4 inches in West Chester and 3 inches in Downingtown; in Montgomery County 6 inches in Palm, 5.5 inches in Pottstown and 2 inches in Wynnewood; in Bucks County 7 inches in Springtown, 4 inches in Sellersville and 2.1 inches in Furlong and 2 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport.

The most intense and widespread winter storm since the Blizzard of 1996 buried Eastern Pennsylvania on the 25th with around 12 inches of snow. Sleet and freezing rain mixed in with the snow across Southeast Pennsylvania. Schools and government offices were closed on the 25th. So were many businesses. Pop music acts cancelled their perfomances at Philadelphia's First Union Center. Many malls never opened or closed early. Many schools and government offices around the Philadelphia area were still closed on the 26th. Most municipalities declared snow emergencies. Numerous accidents occurred and traffic on several major roadways were at a standstill for several hours. There were at least three confirmed deaths from heart attacks shoveling snow. Philadelphia International Airport was closed from 730 a.m. EST until 515 p.m. EST (about 1200 cancellations). One runway was reopened that evening. The Lehigh Valley International Airport was also closed. Amtrak cut its service in half and trains ran late. About 2,000 homes and businesses lost power, mainly in the Philadelphia area.The snow began with a vengeance between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. EST across Eastern Pennsylvania.Snowfall rates of around 2 inches per hour were common during the first couple hours of this storm. By the morning rush hour, several inches had already accumulated around the Philadelphia area. After sunrise, as warmer air came in above the ground and the precipitation intensity slackened, the snow began mixing with and changing over to sleet and freezing rain across Southeast Pennsylvania. It was still snowing across the rest of Eastern Pennsylvania, but at a lighter rate. Nevertheless by mid morning there was already 5 inches of snow on the ground in Berks County and by noon, there was already 6 inches of new snow in Stroudsburg (Monroe County). Southeast Pennsylvania spent most of the daylight hours in the storm's "dry slot" - an area of lighter precipitation. As colder air became more deeply entrenched, after 2 p.m. EST, the wintry mix started to change to sleet and then snow. Precipitation was mainly snow with a little sleet mixed in around Philadelphia during the evening. The change to mainly snow coincided with another heavier band of precipitation that affected Eastern Pennsylvania during the evening of the 25th. The snow ended by Midnight EST. The heavy snow led to hundreds of accidents. It also caused three men (83 and two 64-year-olds) in Monroe County to die from heart attacks after shoveling snow. In Easton (Northampton County), the U.S. Route 22 bridge was closed for 90 minutes after a tractor trailer struck a guardrail. An overturned sports utility vehicle forced the closure of Lehigh Drive in Easton. In Berks County, at about 230 p.m. EST, two people were seriously injured in a 4 vehicle accident near Exit 8 of Intersate 78 in Upper Bern Township. The westbound lanes were closed until 830 p.m. EST. An emergency shelter was opened for stranded motorists in Hamburg. Four foot drifts formed on the interstate. Elsewhere in Berks County, several vehicles drove off the road of U.S. Route 222 in Maxatawny Township. Old U.S. Route 22 in the northern part of the county was closed because of snow drifts. In Delaware County, as many as 20 drivers were stranded along U.S. Route 1, Interstate 95 and the Blue Route (Interstate 476). In the Philadelphia area, the Schuykill Expressway (Interstate 76) between Gulph Mills and U.S. Route 202 was described as a nightmare during the day as 15 tractor trailers became stuck halting traffic for five hours. Total Accumulations (going from northwest to southeast across the region) included: in Monroe County 13 inches in Saylorsburg, 11 inches in Long Pond, 10 inches in Bossardsville and East Stroudsburg, 7 inches in Scotia and 6.5 inches in Pocono Summit; in Northampton County, 14 inches in Williams Township and 7 inches in Bath; in Lehigh County 10 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 7 inches in Allentown; in Berks County 11 inches at the Blue Marsh Lake, 10 inches in Morgantown and Vinemont, 8 inches in Kutztown and Lincoln Park; in Chester County 12 inches in Kennett Square and West Barlborough Township, 11 inches in Downingtown and West Chester, 9 inches in Coatesville and 8 inches in Honey Brook and Glenmoore; in Montgomery County 14 inches at the Willow Grove NAS, 12 inches in Wynnewood, 11.5 inches in Norristown, 11 inches in King of Prussia and 7 inches in Pottstown; in Bucks County 13.6 inches in Chalfont, 12.5 inches in Furlong, 12 inches in Doylestown and 9 inches in Springtown and Langhorne; in Delaware County 11 inches in Springfield and 9 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. The low pressure system responsible for the winter storm began as a weak low pressure system on a stationary front in southern Texas on the 23rd. By the morning of the 24th, it was located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola, Florida. Initial projections were for this storm system to stay far enough offshore for the heaviest precipitation to fall over the ocean and a more significant storm was expected on Wednesday the 26th. But, by Monday evening the 24th, it became apparent that the storm would not safely go out to sea. In fact, it was intensifying and hugging the South Atlantic Coast. By 7 a.m. EST on the 25th, it was about a 980 millibar low just northeast of Cape Hatteras. The storm's greatest intensification was over, but it moved northeast near the Atlantic Seaboard, instead of eastnortheast as was originally expected. At 7 p.m. EST, the storm was about a 975 millibar low located about 80 miles east of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It proceeded to move northeast and weaken and at 7 a.m. EST on the 26th, it was a 988 millibar low just east of Portland Maine. This storm system pushed the cold front well offshore. The third low that did develop on Wednesday the 26th was too far offshore to affect the region other than reinforcing the preexisting cold northwest flow.

A strong cold front produced wind gusts to around 50 mph as it pushed through Eastern Pennsylvania during the late morning of the 11th. The strong winds knocked down tree limbs and some wires. PECO Energy reported about 21,000 homes and businesses lost power in Southeast Pennsylvania from this cold frontal passage and a second wave of strong gusty winds that occurred later that afternoon. The strongest winds occurred with the cold frontal passage in most areas. Peak wind gusts included 55 mph in Langhorne (Bucks County), 51 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport, 48 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, 47 mph in Mount Pocono (Monroe County) and 44 mph in Pottstown (Montgomery County) and Reading (Berks County).

For the second time in the day, strong gusty winds spread across Eastern Pennsylvania. This was triggered by an upper air disturbance that helped develop showers. These showers subsequently mixed down some of the stronger winds aloft to the ground. Peak wind gusts with this second wave were slightly lower than the winds that accompanied the initial cold frontal passage and averaged between 40 and 45 mph. The winds were strong enough to knock over one tree in Upper Darby Township. PECO Energy reported about 21,000 homes and businesses lost power in Southeast Pennsylvania from both the cold frontal passage and the second wave of strong gusty winds. Peak wind gusts with the second wave included 44 mph at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 40 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport.